The Case for Reparations
As we approach MLK weekend, we invite you to lean into the truths of our shared story so we can rediscover our shared humanity and reimagine a new chapter for ourselves, our communities and our nation, together. We have to be willing to learn from the injustices of our past and be willing to trace them back to the roots, both in our systems and our hearts, if we're ever going to see these wounds heal. Hear special guest Dr. Sandy Darity wrestle with the question of where we go from here, chaos or community, in next week's JUST podcast double episode finale.
0:00 Episode starts
0:43 Personal check-ins start
1:52 Rob talks about feeling the despair of the last few week’s events but feeling a renewed conviction
5:15 Jes talks about people being not surprised, and her word is being anchored
8:08 Rob frames up the last two episodes in asking the question: Where do we go from here: Chaos or Community?
11:17 Sandy Darity, Jr. joins the conversation
11:55 Rob introduces Sandy
13:13 Rob asks Sandy why this topic is so important to Sandy and how this cause became personal
13:32 Sandy talks about growing up in North Carolina and growing up in formative parts of legal segregation
15:59 Sandy talks about how reparations for descendents are not exclusively for those of slavery
18:49 Sandy talks about arguing in his book the need to close the racial wealth gap which could mean up to $10-$12 trillion dollars
20:01 Jes asks how reparations is defined, what it is and what is it not
21:08 Sandy uses his book definition of “program of acknowledgement redressing closure for a previous injustice”
24:13 Sandy brings up a Malcom X quote about pulling the knife out and healing the wound being two different things
29:55 Rob asks what it would look like practically to execute this plan for reparations
30:27 Sandy addresses misperceptions as to why people might disagree with this idea
32:31 Sandy talks about three things needed for a plan: 1) specific plan for who qualifies, 2) establishing what the amount should be, 3) to make direct payments to individual recipients
34:41 Interlude
36:09 Jes asks if financial reparations are deployed, how and what is that going to last in the community
39:11 Sandy addresses their argument that having wealth as a foundation is a basis for business development
45:40 Sandy talks about House Resolution 40 as a commission that is supposed to generate a reparations plan
47:37 Rob asks what the biggest obstacle is that stands in the way of execution of reparations
48:08 Sandy talks about misperceptions associated with how people think about the sources of existing racial inequality
49:47 Jes encourages listeners to read the book From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the 21st Century
50:17 Jes asks how listeners can engage with this work
50:32 Sandy talks about the Homestead Act and how that disproportionately aided slave owners over the slaves themselves when it came to land grants
54:33 Sandy signs off the conversation
55:46 Rob talks about this problem and the solution being cleaner
59:29 Rob talks about the power of narrative and misperceptions
1:02:59 Jes talks about they why of doing this work beyond just moving us into an equitable space
1:03:28 Jes and Rob talk about holding on to a spirit of hope
1:08:17 Conversation ends
1:08:20 Outro
1:08:39 Preview of next episode
Thank you to DJ Pdogg and Producer Lo Key for our awesome music throughout the show!
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Our hosts:
Jes Averhart, cofounder of Black Wallstreet Homecoming
Rob Shields, executive director of the Recity Network.
Our Producer:
Ben Azevedo, owner of Bear Cave Audio
Our Editor
Chris Pappalardo