He wants cities like Glasgow where many streets are named after merchants involved in slavery to publicly recognise the past in a similar fashion. Wedderburn sold Roberts mother after he was born while she was pregnant with his third child. He once studied the listings and found that 60% of the names are Scottish surnames, indicating that nearly two-thirds of the population had ancestors once owned or raped by a Scot. Size exceeded. He wrote a series of articles for the Times Educational Supplement from 1969 to 1971 on way to improve the education of children from ethnic minorities. Also, please note that, although we cannot change history, we can change the consequences using education, leadership and justice. Closer to home he worries that our central democratic institution wont cope adequately with the wicked problems of the future and the transformations required. 1 min read. Sir Geoffrey is a Distinguished Fellow of the New Zealand Centre for Public Law and the Law Faculty at the Victoria University of Wellington. SITE DEVELOPMENT: ICESTAR MEDIA LTD. The academic, who was recently appointed chancellor of Heriot-Watt University, has, along with his wife, not long before speaking to Holyrood, received the results for a home DNA testing kit. Sir Geoff Palmer is appointed to lead review of Edinburgh's statues and street names links to slavery. I am delighted that he has been named as our new Chancellor at a time when we all look forward to welcoming back our students in the new academic year and emerging from the challenges arising from the Covid-19 pandemic. Scotland's first black professor caught up in racism row with fellow scholars. Kingston Senior School, and North Street Congregational School, Jamaica. He found the first-year Political Science lectures on Aristotles politics and Platos republic to be absolutely basic to his understanding as they touched upon almost every issue of governance. 04 Jan 2023 19:57:11 This page was last edited on 13 December 2022, at 11:53. Many of the names seen around Scotland, (especially in Edinburgh and Glasgow) and elsewhere in the Highlands and Lowlands, are figures who made a huge contribution to the wealth and prosperity of Scottish communities off the back of chattel slavery in the West Indies. Our leading black academic is, without doubt, the nations most determined campaigner when it comes to demanding Scotland acknowledges its colonial wrongs and the nations role in the sins of the British empire. Sir Geoff Palmer, Professor Emeritus and Chancellor of Heriot Watt University, said: This award is more than a great honour; it is a recognition of all the people whose goodness has contributed to my life and work. Professor Emeritus Sir Geoff Palmer is Chancellor of Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, and a Freeman of Midlothian. [11] His cricketing skill gained him a place on the London Schools' cricket team, and a place at Highbury Grammar School. Freedom of information publication scheme. Sir Geoffrey has accumulated many honours and accolades throughout his career. As Colin James, political journalist and Senior Associate of the Institute for Governance and Policy Studies pointed out, Geoffrey was not a politicians politician. It was because these families had some connection to colonialism, he says. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories. In his letter Gibson-Craig stated that he had just voted for the abolition of British slavery in the Caribbean and would do so again. He improved his O and A Level qualifications with the support of his Head of Department, Professor Chapman. He is writing a book with his grand daughter on how the New Zealand government works aimed at improving the level of civics education in New Zealand. For eight years he was New Zealands Commissioner to the International Whaling Commission. Born in East Carlton, Northamptonshire, he obtained a BA from Christ's College, Cambridge, in 1616 and a MA 1619. granted degree awarding powers. Further information: We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself. He is particularly disgusted by those who say Dundas should be recognised for his role in finally abolishing slavery. We are honoured to have Sir Geoff Palmer as our guest speaker at our next Friend's meeting. He has appeared extensively in the superior courts including the Privy Council. Sir Geoff recalls his mothers shock, soon after his arrival in the country in 1955, when a Home Official arrived at their front door to insist that he had to attend school, he was one month short of the school leaving age. Born in Nelson, Sir Geoffrey came to Victoria University College in 1960 to study political science and law. It suggested that existing methods are too slow and cumbersome, and he has made a speech on the subject to the United Nations, but as yet these suggestions have not been adopted. It's a common failure in the system, and it's not just about the Treaty, it goes to every element of our government. In 2016 he was made a Master of the Bench of the Middle Temple in London. Sir Geoff Palmer, professor emeritus at Heriot . Sir Geoffrey is a prodigious authorhe has more than 200 publications in legal periodicals and chapters in books and has authored or co-authored 13 books. Most of my immediate family is white my son-in-laws, my daughter-in-laws. Professor Sir Geoff Palmer on Scottish Independence. He left forNew Zealand to be a chair in law at Victoria University in Wellington before entering politics as the MP for Christchurch Central in 1979. [9] Palmer has been awarded Honorary Doctorates by Abertay University in 2009,[28] the Open University in 2010,[11][29] the University of the West Indies in 2015,[30] and Heriot-Watt University in 2015. We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse. [15] He received a Doctorate of Science in 1985,[11] and was offered a personal chair at Heriot-Watt in 1989 after Macleod had retired. However, he was not allowed to work because he was below the school-leaving age of 15 years. He practised in Wellington with O'Flynn and Christie before taking up a British Commonwealth Fellowship to the University of Chicago where he graduated JD cum laude in 1967. Comments on the proposals are now being sought from the general public and it is intended that an . Finally, in December 2018, 180 years after Gibson-Craigs abolition vote, the Jamaican Government honoured me beyond expectations, by making me its first Honorary Consul in Scotland. x 5 3/8 in. He is a Fellow of various institutions such as the Royal Society of Medicine. After finishing school in 1958, he secured a position as a technician at Queen Elizabeth College, London. It goes to every element about how our cabinet government works, about how the parliament works, about what caucus is. [23] Palmer recently spoke about the Ethnic Coding in NHS Scotland at ELREC's 40th Annual General Meeting. Once the public knows this stuff, they get it. He moved from New Zealand to Iowa in August 1969 to become a professor at the University of Iowa College of Law. Theres streets named after Balcarres today in Edinburgh and Glasgow, he says. At that time Heriot-Watt was a college. He excelled at cricket as a member of the prestigious London School Boys Cricket team, having learnt his cricketing skills at Race Course, Kingston, Jamaica. He was awarded a Knighthood in the New Years Honours list of the United Kingdom in 2014 for his work in science, human rights and charity. Sir Geoffrey Palmer QC was admitted as a solicitor in 1965 and to the bar in 1966 and practiced in Wellington with O'Flynn and Christie before taking up a British Commonwealth Fellowship to the University of Chicago where he graduated JD cum laude in 1967. Sir Geoff Palmer, chancellor of Heriot-Watt University, was presented with the Edinburgh Award 2022 in a ceremony at City Chambers on Monday. With that, he got his first taste of a UK education. Sir Geoffrey Palmer QC Explains Aspects of the ICJ Decision. He started his PhD in 1965 and completed it in 1967 and then worked as a Post-Doctoral Fellowship at the Heriot Watt University from 1967 to 1968. [18], Alongside his academic work, Palmer is also a prominent human rights activist and is involved in a considerable amount of charity work in the community. In 1972, he left to be a visiting professor at the University of Virginia College of Law. You may not upload any more photos to this memorial If you walked down a street in Edinburgh or Glasgow, I doubt if 1% of people have heard of Darien, he says. I arrived in Edinburgh as a research student in 1964 and I thank the City of Edinburgh Council for all it has done for the community. Sir Geoffrey claims his main aim was for a career that has never been boring. They launched a consultation asking about whether some . contact IPSO here, 2001-2023. In a powerful, no-holds-barred interview, Scotlands foremost black academic, Professor Sir Geoff Palmer, says this country must finally acknowledge the horrific truth about slavery, empire and colonialism. Geoff Palmer, Self: Sky World News. After leaving school in London in 1958, he worked and attended evening classes to improve his qualifications. He holds four honorary doctorates. We will use it to illuminate and educate. Those who argue against any criticism of the past such as placing plaques on statues are simply making excuses for the evils of slavery. Sir Geoffrey Palmer: That's a failure of education. The annual prize honours an outstanding individual who has made a positive impact on the city, boosting its national and international recognition. Twitter Share. He was elected a member of the American Law Institute, a Member of the American Association of International Law and a Fellow of the World Academy of Arts and Sciences. It reported back in 1986 recommending themixed-member proportional representational system (MMP)a reform opposed at the time by both the National and Labour parties. He was a law professor in the United States and New Zealand for some years before entering politics as the MP for Christchurch Central in 1979. For eight years he was New Zealand's Commissioner to the International Whaling Commission. Share this video: Facebook. [26] On the programme, he described the significance of these items to slavery: "After the 200 year commemoration of the abolition of the slave trade I decided to look at sugar, because it was one of the main reasons for slavery. It is the same mentality as saying the British empire brought civilisation to those who were colonised, Palmer adds. Te Herenga WakaVictoria University of Wellington has been Sir Geoffreys intellectual home, and we have been fortunate to benefit from his contributions as a student, lecturer, donor, and Distinguished Fellow. In a recent DNA test, he discovered that his heritage is 80% Nigerian, 17% other African (Cameroon/Kenya) and 3% Viking from Shetland, proving that not only is he a Scot through and through, but that his philosophy, that we are all uniquely the same is true - and although we look different on the outside, we are one humanity. Someone from the Shetland/Highland area went to Jamaica, became involved in slavery and Im a genetic product, he says.In one of his many comic asides, used to relieve the horror of the discussion, he jokes that his wife says his Viking ancestry explains a lot. Today, however, the plaque notes he was instrumental in deferring the abolition of the Atlantic Slave Trade, and that as a result more than half a million enslaved Africans crossed the Atlantic. The Association held different events. My career achievements relate to using the results from my PhD and postgraduate work to develop the Barley Abrasion Process which accelerated the malting process in industry (1973). He continues to publish regularly in law journals and teaches at the Law School. He was made a member of the Global 500 Roll of Honour by the United Nations Environment Programme and has taught courses on climate change and the law. The racism he experienced during this process felt particularly strange to him as the UK was always discussed as the mother country in Jamaica and was seen as home. Abstract. Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours. Explore books by Geoffrey Palmer with our selection at Waterstones.com. Sir Geoff is also a patron of Reach Society. Find out how our pioneering research is focused on finding solutions to major global challenges. 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