The Restitution Study Group (RSG) proudly announces a powerful trilogy of milestones in the global movement for reparatory justice:
- LEGISLATIVE BREAKTHROUGH: Tuesday, March 25th, 2025, Illinois State Rep. Carol Ammons introduced House Resolution 0211—a historic bill recognizing the slave trade origins of the Benin Bronzes and calling for joint stewardship, transparent inventories, and cultural healing for descendants of the enslaved. Read more
- ANCESTRAL DEDICATION IN LONDON: Saturday, March 29th, 2025, UK Fellow Jirah Joshua led a moving ceremony at the British Museum, unveiling a leather bronze mudfish stool and dedicating prayers and poetry in memory of those lost to the Maangamizi. Watch here
- A NEW BRONZE LEGACY: Thursday, March 27th, 2025, In Astoria, Queens, four Benin Kingdom Museum Bronze-Making Fellows (Antonio Isuperio Pereira/Brazil, Sabina Paellmann/USA-Germany, Joel Newman/Haiti, and Donna Lindo/Jamaica)—descendants of Benin Kingdom transatlantic enslaved people—poured the first Benin bronze replica informed by the slave trade origin truth with foundry Prof. Blake Hiltunen. The new bronze marks a powerful act of reclamation and, after chasing (fine tuning the final sculpture) will be exhibited globally as part of the Harlem-based Benin Kingdom Museum. Watch the video
Together, these actions affirm Afrodescendants’ claiming their ownership and joint stewardship rights over the Benin Bronzes, shaping the future of the global narrative of justice, truth, and cultural restoration.
Restitution Study Group 