At EJUSA, our vision extends beyond merely imagining a transformed society. We envision a world where all people, in all communities, can live free from harm. Central to achieving this vision is the acknowledgment and repair of historical and ongoing harms, especially those stemming from racial terror that is deeply embedded in the fabric of our country. Reparations must play a critical role in that repair.
Acknowledging Historical Injustices
To comprehend the urgency of reparations, it is imperative to acknowledge the roots of racial terror embedded in our country’s history. White European settlers colonized this land and soon established the institution of state-sanctioned slavery that did not end with the Emancipation Proclamation or the end of the Civil War. Our nation has perpetuated a system of violent exploitation and social control ever since. The repercussions of policies that stole land from enslaved individuals persist, manifesting in generational poverty and economic disparities. It is time to confront these historical injustices and work towards their acknowledgment and repair.
Frameworks for Repair
Recognizing that many institutions are infected with white supremacy, we advocate for specific frameworks of repair in various sectors:
- Housing: Addressing historical discrimination in housing and lending policies.
- Education: Tackling systemic disparities in educational opportunities.
- Health: Exposing and healing health disparities rooted in historical injustices.
- Criminal Legal System: Confronting a system deeply connected to slavery.
The Urgency for Reparations
The legacy of slavery extends into contemporary institutions at all levels: city, state, and federal government entities; universities, school systems, health care networks, and business sectors (especially banking); and churches and faith institutions. These institutions continue to exacerbate drivers of violence, including poverty, untreated trauma, exposure to violence, health disparities, and food and housing insecurity.
Policing and prisons, wrongful convictions, and mass incarceration rooted in a history of violence also continue to intensify violence that we seek to eliminate. In order to reduce violence, a focus on healing and repair for communities burdened by generational trauma is paramount. Reparations provide a framework to address these issues and build a path towards a safer, more just society.
Reparations encompass various forms of repair. By addressing issues in housing, education, health, and the criminal legal system, we aim to rectify the deep-seated inequalities that have persisted for centuries.
Reparations in Action
I’ve heard so many people — especially elected officials — say that reparations are impossible. But it’s been done before, many times.
The first time the U.S. paid reparations? In 1862, when President Lincoln paid reparations to enslavers! The U.S. paid $300 for each human being freed from slavery in Washington, DC, prior to the Emancipation Proclamation.
But there’s more. We paid Japanese families who were interned during WWII. We paid the families of the victims of the 9/11 attacks. States have paid reparations. Other nations, most notably Germany, for the Holocaust, have paid reparations. It is far from impossible.
In fact, the reparations movement is the oldest social justice movement in the US. Today’s movement is a direct descendant of the work of Callie House and her organization, the Ex-Slave Mutual Relief, Bounty and Pension Association; and Queen Mother Moore who operated out of Harlem in the 1950s and 60s advocating for reparations through her organization the Universal Association of Ethiopian Women. There’s a direct connection to the movement we experience today.
Understanding the types of reparations can take many forms: restitution, compensation, rehabilitation, satisfaction, and guarantees of non-recurrence. And they can be provided through various channels. And the responsibility often falls on the state, as outlined by the UN’s Basic Principles.
We feel it’s important to highlight one particular avenue for reparations: funding frontline violence interventionists and community healers. Their work is essential to addressing the root causes of violence that plague Black communities because of our legacy of discrimination. When we invest in them we are investing in the future of their communities.
The Modern Movement is Taking Shape
- Evanston, Illinois — stands as the first city to issue reparations, distributing funds for home repairs or down payments to eligible Black households.
- Atlanta — the South’s largest city launched a task force to explore the need for reparations.
- Boston — a city with a notorious history of segregation, launched its own task force in 2022
- New York State — just months ago, the legislature passed a state bill establishing a commission to begin the state’s journey toward reparations.
- California — No state has done as much toward reparations as California. A group of California lawmakers in this article is taking significant steps towards reparations for Black descendants of enslaved people with a set of bills modeled after recommendations from a state reparations task force. This legislative package, released by the California Legislative Black Caucus, addresses a wide range of issues, from criminal justice to food accessibility. This is in addition to San Francisco’s own commission recommending significant payments to its own descendants of enslaved people.
Reparations are not just about addressing historical injustices; they are a pathway to healing, creating systemic responses to violence that break cycles of trauma. With multiracial, multi-faith, and cross-partisan support, we stand on the shoulders of those who have come before us, working towards a society where repair and transformation go hand in hand.
To learn more, take a look at The Black Reparations Project: A Handbook for Racial Justice, a collection of research and history around reparations.
