Early Years
“...it’s not grants and loans that we need…rather, it’s an injection of capital to fix our society. Otherwise, we will not achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and we will not achieve Vision 2030.”
Prof. Verene A. Shepherd, CD, hails from Hopewell, St. Mary, Jamaica where she undertook her formative education before going on to Shortwood Teacher’s College. Prof. Shepherd completed the BA in History and Masters Degree in Philosophy at The University of the West Indies before receiving a scholarship to complete her PhD in History at The University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.
Academic Journey
A lifelong educator with work rooted in reparations, leadership, gender and development studies, Prof. Shepherd is an Emerita Professor of History and Gender Studies at The University of the West Indies (UWI) and an Emerita Professor of Social History at the University of Cambridge.
ACADEMIC RECORD
1988: PhD (History), University of Cambridge (on a Cambridge Commonwealth Trust Scholarship)
1985: MPhil (History), University of the West Indies (on a UWI Postgraduate Scholarship)
1976: B.A. (History), University of the West Indies
SELECT ACADEMIC POSTS
2017- 2024: Director, Centre for Reparation Research, The University of the West Indies
2010-2017: University Director, Institute for Gender & Development Studies (IGDS)
2001-2010: Professor of Social History, Dept. of History, UWI, Mona
1994-2001: Senior Lecturer, Dept. of History, UWI, Mona
1989- 1994: Lecturer, Dept. of History, UWI, Mona
Professor Shepherd has been recognized as:
International Engagement
Professor Shepherd played an integral role in drafting the Programme of Activities for the United Nations’ International Decade for People of African Descent (2015–2024).
Led the adoption of General Recommendation 36 (GR36) for the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) which aims to prevent and combat racial profiling by law enforcement officials.
Reparations Impact
In 2024, Prof. Shepherd was the Vice-Chair, United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
Prof. Shepherd was the first director of the Centre for Reparation Research (CRR), University of the West Indies, 2017
Shepherd's research indicates that the main beneficiaries of the transatlantic trade in Africans included Britain, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Russia. Her work and advocacy emphasize the need to acknowledge that the forced removal of Africans, which disrupted their identities, and the subsequent extraction of resources to build metropolitan countries have contributed to the underdevelopment of West Indian nations. Her activism for reparatory justice extends beyond merely recognizing the sources of wealth derived from slavery or seeking financial compensation. It also encompasses cultural recognition, infrastructure development, and the redistribution of resources.
Prof. Shepherd has served as Vice-Chair for the CARICOM and Jamaican Reparation Commissions, where she worked to establish the ethical and legal responsibilities of European states to provide reparations.
She has received several awards for her work in history, human rights and gender. She is a published author of seven books, a radio host and scholar-activist, particularly in the areas of women’s rights, human rights and reparatory justice.
Select Honors and Awards
2019 Honorary Fellow of Jesus College, Cambridge
2019 70+7 Women Recognized for The UWI 70th Anniversary Celebrations
2017 Black Achievement Wall of Honour, United Nations, New York
2016 Vice Chancellor’s Award for Excellence, UWI Mona
2013 Order of Distinction, Commander Class, Government of Jamaica
1991 Dubois-Mandela-Rodney Fellow, Centre for Afro-American and African Studies, University of Michigan
Prof. Verene Shepherd delivering keynote address at two day symposium to commemorate the 75th year of the publication of Eric Williams’ Capitalism and Slavery, November 2019.