Restorative Justice

To Seek Repair From Those Who Were Involved in the Violations of Ota’s Human Dignity

The Committee seeks to address those responsible for Ota Benga’s exploitation, including institutions that exhibited people as curiosities and those who profited from Congolese art and artifacts obtained through his mistreatment.

United Nations General Assembly Resolution A/RES/80/250

The Ota Benga International Committee stands in solidarity with United Nations General Assembly Resolution A/RES/80/250, recognizing the trafficking and racialized chattel enslavement of Africans as the gravest crime against humanity. In honoring Ota Benga’s life and dignity, we affirm the resolution’s call for truth, remembrance, education, and reparatory justice. We support meaningful efforts to acknowledge historical wrongs, address their enduring consequences, and advance healing, reconciliation, and the dignity and human rights of Africans and people of African descent.

“Declaration of the Trafficking of Enslaved Africans and Racialized Chattel Enslavement of Africans as the Gravest Crime against Humanity.”

Reparations Retreat 2025

In December 2026, the International Ota Benga Committee (OBIC) held its Second Annual Reparations and Restorative Justice Retreat, dedicating a full day to advancing the committee’s restorative justice goal: seeking repair for the violations of Ota Benga’s human dignity.

National reparations activist Kenniss Henry joined the committee for the retreat, and Dr. Allen Davis of the University of Massachusetts provided guidance via Zoom. Their contributions informed the committee’s consideration of how to address the injustices Ota Benga endured and pursue meaningful repair. The retreat reflected OBIC’s commitment to connecting remembrance with action in the pursuit of dignity, accountability, and justice.

The photos below share moments of the retreat.