what does it mean to be part of the commonwealth

ROSALEA HAMILTON: When the world watched a white policeman standing on the neck of a Black man in the U.S., Jamaicans woke up to the reality that we have a governor general that's wearing an insignia with a white angel standing on the head of a Black man.

Another advocate, Rosalea Hamilton, says George Floyd's murder accelerated the push. SUMMERS: Adisa says Jamaica's transition to a republic is a long time coming.

She says Britain's colonial legacy in the Caribbean is troubling and deeply entangled with slavery.ĪDISA: If the British expect to have a congenial, equal relationship with people of African descent, then they must apologize and admit the dehumanizing impact of 500 years of colonialization. PFEIFFER: Opal Palmer Adisa is a poet and activist in Kingston. OPAL PALMER ADISA: I'm definitely for leaving the monarchy and for Jamaica becoming a republic. PRIME MINISTER ANDREW HOLNESS: Please move ahead with speed and alacrity on this matter. Here's Jamaica's prime minister, Andrew Holness, speaking earlier this year. SUMMERS: Other countries have already said they'll follow suit. PRESIDENT SANDRA MASON: Declare Barbados a parliamentary republic. Barbados cast off the monarchy in 2021, with Rihanna in attendance, along with then-Prince Charles.

He's also becoming head of state of 14 other countries, or realms, as they're known in the Commonwealth of Nations.īut their future is uncertain. When King Charles II is crowned as king this Saturday, he's not only becoming the king of the United Kingdom.

What does it mean to be part of the commonwealth