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IBW21

IBW21 (The Institute of the Black World 21st Century) is committed to enhancing the capacity of Black communities in the U.S. and globally to achieve cultural, social, economic and political equality and an enhanced quality of life for all marginalized people.

Why African Americans Were More Likely to Die During the 1918 Flu Pandemic

Why African Americans Were More Likely to Die During the 1918 Flu Pandemic

By Commentaries/Opinions, COVID-19 (Coronavirus)

By Rodney A. Brooks — When it came to getting healthcare during the 1918 influenza epidemic, America’s Black communities, hobbled by poverty, Jim Crow segregation and rampant discrimination, were mostly forced to fend for themselves. Opportunities for hospital care proved scarce, leaving many relying on family care and, where available, the small but burgeoning ranks of Black nurses. When the 1918 influenza epidemic began, African Americans were already beset by a barrage of social, medical…

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D.C. Council member Kenyan R. McDuffie

D.C. slaveholders once won reparations. Now, the city eyes payment for descendants of enslaved people.

By Reparations

By Michael Brice-Saddler & Fenit Nirappil, WashPost — The nation’s capital would be the latest jurisdiction to seriously explore providing reparations to the descendants of enslaved people under legislation proposed by a member of the D.C. Council. The bill to establish a task force to study reparations comes after District residents demanded racial justice and equity during protests over the summer after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Announced Monday…

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The Black Wall Street mural in Tulsa, Okla.

It’s time for wealthy donors to embrace reparations, not more charity

By Reparations

Philanthropy as usual isn’t enough to confront a racial wealth gap that’s exploding during the pandemic. By Edgar Villanueva & Chuck Collins, Market Watch — As the coronavirus rages and the economic fallout continues, the wealth gap between our country’s largely white top 1% and the Black and brown communities bearing the brunt of the pandemic has never been more exposed. U.S. billionaires have increased their wealth by nearly $1 trillion during…

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