Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley has welcomed Britain's willingness to discuss a formal apology for its role in the transatlantic slave trade. Her openness to the talks comes even though the two sides remain at odds over financial reparations, an issue that has not been settled. The apology itself would address Britain's part in a painful chapter of history in which enslaved people were forcibly transported across the Atlantic. Money, however, continues to be the sticking point that separates the two positions. Mottley's response suggests Barbados sees value in opening the conversation even without any agreement on compensation. Whether the divide over reparations can ever be bridged remains an open question.