Welcome to the Restitution Study Group (RSG) website. We are a not-for-profit institute based in the New York City-metropolitan area. Founded by Deadria Farmer-Paellmann in 2000, we examine and execute innovative approaches to healing the injuries of exploited and oppressed people. The RSG partners with community advocates to bring about positive change through: litigation, legislation, genealogy and DNA research, and direct action.
One of our primary efforts has been to secure reparations and restitution from corporations complicit in the antebellum enslavement of Africans. Our goal is to create a Community Trust Fund managed by Black business and community leaders to invest in efforts to repair the economic, educational, and health disparities from which descendants of enslaved Africans suffer.
Our Team
Deadria Farmer-Paellmann
Founder & Executive Director, Restitution Study Group
Deadria Farmer-Paellmann is a pioneering legal strategist, activist, and philanthropist committed to securing reparatory justice for the descendants of enslaved Africans. As the Executive Director of the Restitution Study Group (RSG), she has led groundbreaking efforts to expose corporate complicity in slavery, advocate for financial restitution, and challenge institutions that profit from historical injustices.
Farmer-Paellmann first gained national recognition in the early 2000s for her legal battles against major corporations that benefited from the transatlantic slave trade. She played a key role in lawsuits against companies such as Aetna, CSX, and FleetBoston Financial, demanding accountability for their historical ties to slavery.
In recent years, she has been at the forefront of the Benin Bronzes restitution movement, advocating that these cultural artifacts were created using metal manillas—a currency acquired through the sale of enslaved Africans. She leads the global campaign for joint stewardship of the bronzes between Afrodescendants, Nigerian institutions, Benin Kingdom royals, and stakeholder museums. Under her leadership, RSG continues to champion justice through litigation, scholarship, and advocacy.
Tylon Usavior Washington
Director of Multimedia, Restitution Study Group
Tylon Usavior Washington is a filmmaker, director, music producer, journalist, and graphic designer from Harlem, New York. As a fearless and visionary creative professional, he brings interdisciplinary expertise to film and media, using powerful storytelling to address historical injustices and social issues.
As Director of Multimedia for the Restitution Study Group (RSG), Washington plays a crucial role in producing visual content that educates and mobilizes communities around the fight for reparatory justice. He directed the award-winning short film, They Belong to All of Us: The Benin Bronze Slave Trade Story (2023), which won Best Film for Social Purpose and 2nd Place Best 2D Film at the Cannes Film Festival. His work continues to shed light on the overlooked history of the transatlantic slave trade and its lasting impact on Afrodescendants.
Mentored by the legendary Melvin Van Peebles, Washington’s work blends activism with art, ensuring that RSG’s mission reaches global audiences through compelling media and film.
Havanna Fisher
Artistic Director, Restitution Study Group
Havanna Fisher is an emerging transdisciplinary artist and designer from Harlem, using fashion, performing arts, film, and education to spark political and social awareness. She holds a BFA in Fashion Design from Parsons School of Design and a BA in the Arts with a concentration in Dance from Eugene Lang College.
As Artistic Director of the Restitution Study Group (RSG), Fisher is dedicated to creating transformative art that amplifies the voices of Afrodescendants and advocates for reparatory justice. She merges different artistic disciplines to develop artists and engaging performances that highlight the impact of slavery and the ongoing struggle for restitution.
Through her leadership, RSG continues to use art as a powerful tool for storytelling, education, and activism—building a global movement for justice through creativity.
Esther Xosei
Caribbean/UK Mobilizer, Restitution Study Group
Esther Xosei is a jurisconsult, reparationist, community advocate, and historian committed to advancing justice for Afrodescendants. As a modern-day abolitionist, she champions the causes of legal and economic restitution for those affected by historical injustices.
In her role as Caribbean/UK Mobilizer for the Restitution Study Group (RSG), Xosei works to engage communities across the Caribbean and the UK in the fight for reparatory justice. She is dedicated to Afrikan self-determination, approaching her activism from a contemporary Pan-African Internationalist perspective.
Her work with RSG includes legal advocacy, public education, and grassroots mobilization to push for accountability from institutions that have profited from the transatlantic enslavement of African people. By leveraging history, law, and community organizing, she helps build a powerful movement for reparations.
Sheila Camaroti Silva
Brazil/EU Mobilizer, Restitution Study Group
Sheila Camaroti Silva was born in São Paulo, Brazil, and has lived in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, since 2012. With a degree in business administration and extensive experience in accounting, office and project management, and customer service, she brings strong organizational and leadership skills to international advocacy.
As Brazil/EU Mobilizer for the Restitution Study Group (RSG), Silva is instrumental in building alliances and mobilizing Afrodescendant communities in Brazil and Europe around the fight for reparations. She works to ensure that Afro-Brazilian and European descendants of enslaved Africans are engaged in discussions about restitution, museum policies, and economic justice.
Her work focuses on cross-continental advocacy, public awareness campaigns, and visionary financial planning for reparatory justice, making her a vital part of RSG’s global movement.
Contact Us!
Feel free to contact us for media interviews, museum pop-ups, film festivals, speakers requests and more. We look forward to hearing from you! Languages include: English, German and Portuguese.
Mailing Address: 15 West 12th Street, 6G, New York, NY 10011
Restitution Study Group 