By Herb Boyd — When Africans were forcibly brought to America, they worked at the points of production. And whether as a multitude of enslaved workers on small farms, large plantations, in mines or elsewhere, black laborers were vital cogs in creating wealth for their owners. On a national scale, enslaved black laborers provided a workforce vital for the development of the American republic by bringing wage-free economic success and…
This month is not only about commemorating our history but cementing and shaping our present-day legacy for future generations. By Derrick Johnson, president and CEO, NAACP — We find ourselves…
January 30, 2020 — Attny. Nkechi Taifa, a NAARC commissioner, recently delivered a keynote address entitled “A Debt Unpaid” at the Howard University School of Law. Her reparations talk was hosted by Prof. Justin Hansford, executive director of the Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center at Howard. Prof. Hansford is also a commissioner of the National African American Reparations Commission (NAARC).
By TBT News — “Reparation Bill Becomes Real As it Heads to the House and Senate: My background as a former sharecropper from Louisiana who went through the hard knocks of life is the very reason I’m a passionate advocate of Reparations for African American people. My story is fully documented in The Wall Street Journal. “I believe in reparations for ALL citizens of African American descent in this country, but primarily (and to…
Activists and preservationists are changing the kinds of places that are protected—and what it means to preserve them. By Casey Cep, The New Yorker — No one knows what happened to Gabriel’s body. Born into slavery the year his country declared its freedom, he trained as a plantation blacksmith and was hired out to foundries in Richmond, Virginia, where he befriended other enslaved people. Together, they absorbed, from the revolutionary…
Kobe had a singular impact on his game and the world. By Sean Gregory, TIMES — Kobe Bryant was the fair heir to Michael Jordan, a scoring assassin who could…
Reparations activism links today’s vast inequalities with the enormous culpability of colonialism. By Priya Lukka, Open Democracy — ‘Reparations.’ Once I heard that word from a friend, everything I had been taught as an economist was challenged at a fundamental level. As someone working at a large INGO where I have spent years targeting the drivers of poverty, I recognise that development isn’t…
In the wake of initiatives to repatriate Africa’s stolen property, the author of this letter asks the French President to repair what his ancestors have broken, before attempting to restore the war trophies of colonial conquest. By Manthia Diawara, Hyperallergic — “All of the elements for a solution to the major problems of humanity existed at one time or another in European thought. But the Europeans did not act on…
By Associated Press — RICHMOND (AP) — After months of research, a university in Virginia’s capital city has confirmed that part of its campus was probably built over the graves…
By Ernest DiStefano — Ernest DiStefano has written a stirring appeal for reparations for Negro League ballplayers and their descendants. This appeal in the form of a letter to Major…
By Cleve R. Wootson Jr., Vanessa Williams, Dan Balz and Scott Clement — President Trump made a stark appeal to black Americans during the 2016 election when he asked, “What have…
The West focuses only on slavery, but the history of Africa is so much more than a footnote to European imperialism. By Toby Green / Edited by Sam Haselby, Aeon — To understand the complexity and significance of West African history, there is no better thing to do than to go to Freetown. Sierra Leone’s capital is sited in the lee of the ‘lion-shaped’ mountain that gives the country its…
Here are some quick links to NAARC’s website to help you get involved and stay informed:
• Donate
• What is NAARC?
• What is NAARC’s 10 Point Plan?
• Forums & Conferences
• NAARC News
• Reparations Advocate Sign Up
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The Institute of the Black World 21st Century (IBW, IBW21) 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. – Learn more here
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