Reparations 101

School is not back in session yet but clearly there are a lot of people who need schooling, especially when it comes to understanding reparations. In this episode, “Professor” Steve Phillips breaks down the history of slavery and its legacy in this country and answers the question: Does the U.S. government owe anything to Black Americans? We also talk about why it’s so important for Congress to act now and pass HR 40, the bill to establish a commission to study the legacy of slavery and to make recommendations about possible remedies, including reparations.

References:

Sign our Petition: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/sign-the-petition-black-americans-deserve-reparations-demand-congress-commission-a-reparations-study-now?source=direct_link&referrer=group-democracy-in-color

H.R. 40 is a bill that would create a commission to study the effects of slavery on African Americans and explore possible remedies—including reparations
Congress.gov –  https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/40

Other Reparations Resources

NJ-S322 – New Jersey Reparations Task Force https://www.billtrack50.com/BillDetail/1169949
Forbes // Rachel Sandler – California Assembly Passes Reparations
Bill https://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelsandler/2020/06/13/california-assembly-passes-reparations-bill/
Reparations to Japanese Americans – Civil Liberties Act of 1988 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Liberties_Act_of_1988

Video and Audio clips

Martin Luther King Jr. I Have a Dream Speech https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARvrvJV4th4
Trevor Noah on the Daily Show – The Reparations Debate Should America Compensate the Descendants of Slaves https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Uf_XDFXvzU
Beverly Hillbillies – Opening and Closing Theme Song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvE9zJgm8OY
Daily News Post Reports Podcast, hosted by Martine Powers – Why Americans Don’t Learn About Tulsa, or Junteenth https://www.washingtonpost.com/podcasts/post-reports/why-americans-dont-learn-about-tulsa-or-juneteenth/
TIME – Mitch McConnell Says Reparations for Slavery Are Not a ‘Good Idea’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQz7kL_qrE4
PBS News Hour – Ta-Nehisi Coates Full Opening Statement on Reparations at House Hearing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcCnQ3iRkys

Books

Sven Beckert – Empire of Cotton https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20758057-empire-of-cotton

Articles

The Nation // Steve Phillips – This is the Perfect Moment to Push for Reparations https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/black-reparations-hr40-congress/
The New York Times // Angela Glover Blackwell and Michael McAfee  – Banks Should Face History and Pay Reparations https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/26/opinion/sunday/banks-reparations-racism-inequality.html
The New York Times // Nikole Hannah-Jones – What is Owed https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/06/24/magazine/reparations-slavery.html

Study

National Bureau of Economic Research – “Are Emily and Greg More Employable than Lakisha and Jamal?” https://www.nber.org/papers/w9873