Renowned U.S. civil rights activist Al Sharpton has declared his full support for the initiative by Ghana’s President, John Dramani Mahama, to have the transatlantic slave trade recognised as the gravest crime against humanity.
Sharpton’s endorsement comes as Brazil also pledged its backing for the campaign. The commitment was announced by Brazil’s President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, during talks with Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, on the sidelines of the CELAC-Africa Summit held in Colombia on Saturday, March 21.
President Mahama is expected to table the resolution before the United Nations General Assembly on March 25, 2026. The proposal seeks to formally declare the transatlantic slave trade—and the racialised chattel enslavement of Africans—as the gravest crime against humanity.
The initiative forms part of broader efforts to secure global recognition of the historical injustice of slavery, a step advocates argue is critical to advancing reparatory justice and addressing its enduring legacy.
As part of the programme, President Mahama will convene and deliver a keynote address at a high-level special event on reparatory justice at the UN Headquarters in New York City.
The event, themed “Reparatory Justice for the Trafficking of Enslaved Africans and the Racialised Chattel Enslavement of Africans,” will bring together world leaders and senior officials to deliberate on the issue.
The Ghanaian Leader is also scheduled to address the General Assembly, presenting African Union’s adopted position supporting the resolution.
During his visit, Mahama will participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at the African Burial Ground National Monument to honour the memory of enslaved Africans.
Beyond his UN engagements, President Mahama will travel to Pennsylvania, where he is expected to deliver a keynote address at Lincoln University and interact with the Ghanaian community at Temple University.
