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JRCT Appoints Professor West to Lead Reparations Initiative

4/2/2026

Summary

Story summary

The Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust (JRCT) appointed Professor Keon West to lead its reparations program tied to the Rowntree chocolate brand, amid global calls for colonialism reparations.
Research showed Rowntree & Co. benefited from goods produced by enslaved Africans and indentured workers in 19th and 20th centuries.
In 2021, JRCT acknowledged its ties to 'abhorrent practices' and pledged to engage affected communities for restorative justice and fund racial justice initiatives.

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Story summary

The Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust (JRCT) appointed Professor Keon West to lead its reparations program tied to the Rowntree chocolate brand, amid global calls for colonialism reparations.
Research showed Rowntree & Co. benefited from goods produced by enslaved Africans and indentured workers in 19th and 20th centuries.
In 2021, JRCT acknowledged its ties to 'abhorrent practices' and pledged to engage affected communities for restorative justice and fund racial justice initiatives.