From Here to Equality by William A. Darity Jr.

history and propose formulas that can be used to quantify that cost. In this chapter, six authors examine the cost of discrimination across U.S. One of the most interesting chapters, however, looks at how the amount of money due to the descendants of slaves should be calculated. In one particularly compelling illustration, the book details how, in the early 1900s, five of seven Black medical schools across the country were shut down, leaving the United States with a deficit of 30,000 Black physicians, according to a chapter written by Duke medical professor Keisha L. And how, decades later, the construction of highways carved through vibrant Black neighborhoods, destroying “black prosperity and community stability,” the editors write.Īdditional chapters on housing, education, and health care only strengthen the argument for reparations, exploring details of American history many readers may be ignorant of. Or the fact that white terrorists, starting after the Civil War, not only lynched and massacred Black Americans but also seized their property and destroyed booming Black business districts. Like the fact that while former slaves were denied their 40 acres, millions of white Americans received 160 acres through the 1862 Homestead Act. Other historical facts, however, may come as a surprise. Bill, and housing discrimination by the federal government, banks, and insurance companies. Some of these laws might be familiar to readers-school segregation, the post–World War II G.I. The editors recap a series of laws, from 1861 to the present, that have kept slaves and their descendants from upward economic mobility.

The Black Reparations Project starts by making the case for reparations. Mullen, Darity, and Hubbard argue that we must take advantage of that political energy to advance reparations before Black Americans are forced to endure yet another century of injustice.

Various plans, starting with the famous “40 acres and a mule” decree, have been launched and then abandoned.ĭuring the 2020 presidential election, the idea of making reparations was revived by various Democratic candidates, sparking new energy around the subject. The idea of reparations for slaves and their descendants has been around since the Civil War. The best of INDY Week’s fiercely independent journalism about the Triangle delivered straight to your inbox.

From Here to Equality by William A. Darity Jr.