Skip to main content
Gayle King interviews Ralph Northam

Slavery vs Indentured Servitude: Which aids racism?

By Commentaries/Opinions, Reparations

Perhaps the main reason so many people objected to Virginia Governor Ralph Northam calling the first 20 Africans to land in Virginia in 1619 indentured servants, and not slaves, is that they believe the conditions of slavery were so much harsher than those of indentured servitude, that calling these Africans indentured servants amounts to a cover-up of their reality. That is because the popular image that we have been sold…

Read More
African American slave family representing five generations all born on the plantation of J. J. Smith, Beaufort, South Carolina.

A Realistic Expectation of Reparations for Blacks

By Editors' Choice, Reparations

A direct cost of slavery is the cost of African-American life. How much is a life worth depends on a lot of personal factors. By Benny Williams, Ebony — Reparations owed to African-Americans in terms of dollars are insurmountable and nearly impossible for America to afford. No amount of money can repair the psychological damage African-Americans have experienced for centuries, and no amount of money can address the systemic racism that…

Read More
Albert Woodfox was released from prison in 2016 after more than four decades.

After 40 years in solitary, activist Albert Woodfox tells his story of survival

By Editors' Choice

The former Black Panther and member of the Angola 3 reflects on how he turned his cell from a place of confinement to a space for personal growth. By Albert Woodfox, The Guardian — My wrists were handcuffed to my waist by a leather strap. These restraints would become standard for me for decades to come. They walked me to a car and I got in. A captain next to…

Read More
Sen. Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.), a 2020 presidential candidate, poses for a photograph with attendees during a campaign stop in Des Moines.

Democratic candidates are backing reparations for African Americans. That could be politically risky.

By Commentaries/Opinions, Reparations

By Eugene Scott, The Washington Post — Over the past few days, several Democratic contenders for the 2020 presidential nomination have come out in favor of reparations for people descended from slaves. It is an idea that is popular among African Americans, but one that poses political risks. On Monday, former housing and urban development secretary Julián Castro spoke out in favor of reparations on MSNBC’s “Hardball.” “It is interesting…

Read More