The conversation surrounding reparations is underway and the U.S. government must take a leading role. By Sheila Jackson Lee U.S. House of Representatives For nearly three decades, my former colleague…
A Statement by the National African American Reparations Commission (NAARC) — The novel Coronavirus Pandemic has revealed the longstanding disparities in health conditions for African Americans in the United States. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said she was “shocked” and “disturbed” upon learning that black Chicagoans, who make up 30 percent of the city’s residents, accounted for 70 percent of the fatalities. “Those numbers take your breath away,” she declared. These…
By Dr. Julianne Malveaux — More than nine hundred people crowded into the Church of the Epiphany, an Episcopal church in Washington, DC. They had gathered to hear Rev. William…
By Jessica Ann Mitchell Aiwuyor — The term “American Descendants of Slavery” (ADOS) was created in 2016 to describe and distinctly separate Black Americans/African Americans from Black immigrant communities (Africans, Afro-Caribbeans, Afro-Latinos, etc). The movement claims to advocate for reparations on behalf of Black Americans. However, this movement’s leadership is linked to right-wing media and white supremacists that have a history of attempting to cause divisions in the Black community.
By Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq. — Whenever Black people bring up the subject of white Americans acting to cure years of discriminatory acts against Black people when our ancestors were forced to work without compensation, they usually pivot to the term “reverse discrimination” or they question whether reparations would be constitutional. My good friend, Gloria Dulan Wilson, responded to the constitutional argument by saying, “It was once constitutional to beat,…
Sheila Jackson Lee reflects on the 400th anniversary of slavery and discusses plans for reparations for black Americans, MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell reports. Also Watch: NAARC and ACLU Juneteenth 2019 Forum…
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 Emily Tillett, CBS News — The topic of reparations for the descendants of Americans who were enslaved has come up on the 2020 campaign trail and in the halls of Congress, as lawmakers continue to push for a commission to study and consider reparation proposals. One of those lawmakers, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas, says some in Congress are now turning reparations into a “constructive discussion on the…
Black women often have spearheaded the fight for reparations, but it’s time they put their needs front and center. By Courtland Milloy, The Washington Post — At a recent congressional…
By Dr. Maulana Karenga — The recent hearing in the House of Representatives on reparations marks an important step on the long struggle for justice for Black people and accountability…
06/24/19 Vantage Point Radio with host Dr. Ron Daniels. Topic: Report Back From Juneteenth Reparations Day Historic Hearing and Forum on HR-40 – Open Forum with Listeners. Guest: Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, Lead Sponsor, HR-40, Houston, TX