By Nkechi Taifa, Esq.— The godsend of the granting of compassionate release to William Underwood today is a matter of preparation and persistence meeting opportunity. The blessing is the story of a family that never gave up. Lawyers who were relentless. The power of strange bedfellows. And it is a story of the constant demand for justice. William Underwood is a devoted father of four, a grandfather and a former…
The legacy of slavery is far from resolved. It persists every day and everywhere. By David Gardinier and Karen Hilfman, The Boston Globe — Since the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis by a white police officer, and the resounding anti-racist uprisings around the world, the concept of reparations has picked up momentum in national conversations and has sparked new public curiosity and interest. Among Black people and their ancestors,…
88th Annual Meeting of the United States Conference of Mayors Resolution In Support of the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act (H.R 40/S. 1083) WHEREAS, Congress finds that four million Africans and their descendants were brought to this land and enslaved in the American colonies beginning in 1619, and slavery was an institution that was statutorily upheld by the federal government of the United States…
By Seth Cohen, Forbes — Beginning 400 years ago, and for more than 250 years of our nation’s history, slaves built the United States into one of the wealthiest countries on the planet. As a result, America owes an unconscionable and unforgivable debt to the ancestors of those slaves. Yet now, as the country is challenged to confront both the violent legacy of slavery and the dehumanizing tradition of systemic…
AM Joy, MSNBC — Reparations and Juneteenth holiday bills introduced by Sen. Cory Booker and more are explained to Joy Reid, in addition to the larger need for America to address the aspects of its history that include racial violence. Watch Video
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA — When asked what challenges she and fellow Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) faced as Black candidates during their 2019 run for president, Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) urged everyone in the room to close their eyes. “Then, imagine the boy next door and think of a four-letter word phrase that would define mine and Cory’s campaign,” Harris said. “You don’t have it. It doesn’t exist. So, we…
In fact, Black activists and civil rights leaders have been advocating for compensation for the trauma and cost of slavery for centuries. By Mohammed Elnaiem, JSTOR Daily — In July 2019, thousands of Americans took to their television sets, phones, and laptops to watch Ta-Nehisi Coates, Danny Glover, and Cory Booker testify before Congress, demanding reparations for slavery. There was a time when this debate was on the fringes; now it was…
By Dana Sanchez, The Moguldom Nation — Senators Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker have said they support some form of reparations, but Bernie Sanders has declined to do so, insisting instead that “there are better ways” to help Black communities “than just writing out a check.” Wanting it both ways, Sanders denies that he has rejected reparations. However, unlike former Vice President Joe Biden, Sanders is willing to talk about it. During…
The idea of economic amends for past injustices and persistent disparities is getting renewed attention. Here are some formulas for achieving the aim. By Patricia Cohen, The New York Times — If you’re surprised that the issue of reparations for black Americans has taken so long to resolve, blame the president. President Andrew Johnson. As the Civil War wound down in 1865, Gen. William T. Sherman made the promise that would come to be…
By Madina Touré — Mayor Bill de Blasio won’t say if he supports reparations for black Americans affected by slavery, but he does support a commission to study the issue. As part of his longshot presidential campaign, the mayor this week attended the 2019 Muslim Collective for Equitable Democracy Conference in Washington, D.C., and was asked about reparations for the descendants of black slaves — a long-debated concept that has…
By Nicholas Wu and Deborah Barfield Berry, USA Today — WASHINGTON – Calling racism the “poison of America,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer gave his support Tuesday to a bill to set up a commission to study reparations. “The disparities in race affect everything, not just the obvious things, but the non-obvious things” like pollution and climate change, Schumer explained. The bill, proposed by Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Texas…
By Benjamin Barber, Facing South — As Republican lawmakers in Southern states continue their efforts to undermine the influence of a diverse electorate, Democratic presidential candidates are calling for new reforms to combat discriminatory voting policies and practices. Since the 2013 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Shelby County v. Holder gutted the Voting Rights Act (VRA) and ended federal preclearance of election-law changes in places with a history of voting discrimination, state…
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