Reparations Daily (ish) Vol. 97
The World Is Ours: A Reparations Commission Is Coming to New York.
Happy Wednesday —
We’ve been on a bit of a hiatus digitally because we’ve been working hard to bring Reparations Daily (ish) to life over the past few months. In collaboration with Media 2070 and the Black Thought Project through their Black Future Newsstand, we made a special printed edition for Juneteenth that will be featured at the Newsstand this weekend at the Schomburg Literary Festival.
The special edition features reprints of old editions, guest features from organizers across the movement, and art from some of my closest friends.
The entire process was truly a collaborative one, and I’d like to give a special thanks to my friend and co-conspirator, Savannah Romero, who encouraged me to bring the newsletter to life. If you’d like your own copy of the special edition, please contact me at (trevor@bliscollective.org).
If you’re in New York, I encourage you to check out Black Future Newsstand this Saturday at the Schomburg or on Juneteenth at the Africa Center!
With radical love,
Trevor
News Recommendations
Representative Cori Bush introduced a new piece of legislation to complement H.R. 40 and a Truth and Reconciliation bill that advocates have long advocated for.
Dr. David Ragland of the Truth Telling Project penned an op-ed on his Medium page encouraging new and innovative ideas like Rep. Bush’s.
As described in the Opinion section of today’s newsletter. New York became the second state to pass a bill to create a statewide reparations commission!
There is so much to read about regarding California. NBC News just did a thorough rundown of what to know about the Taskforce’s report yesterday.
NPR has a great investigative piece on how the Catholic Church profited from slavery.
Mother Jones highlighted how Christopher Rufo, the man behind the CRT panic, is coming for more.
Opinion
Just as California, the first-ever state to create a task force dedicated to reparations for Black Americans, wraps up its work, New York passed its own bill to create a reparations task force — joining California in making history.
Like California, the legislation will create a nine-member commission that will “examine the institution of slavery, subsequently de jure and de facto racial and economic discrimination against African-Americans, the impact of these forces on living African-Americans, and make recommendations on appropriate remedies.”
“This is about beginning the process of healing our communities,” said Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages, one of the lead sponsors of the bill. “There is still generational trauma that people are experiencing. This is just one step forward,” Solages said.
The vestiges of slavery can still be felt all around the state, particularly downtown New York City, home to the infamous Wall Street, named after the wall enslaved people built for the Dutch.
For a while, I’ve been saying that whichever state comes directly after California potentially faces more pressure since they’ll have the work of the California task force to serve as a blueprint.
There are a few critical points on my mind as the topic of reparations becomes more visible in New York policy and political discussions:
Reach & Educate Reporters Early
The media, particularly mainstream print and online press, play a significant role in shaping public narratives. We already know from previous polling that most of the public understands reparations through a strictly financial lens.
Before the task force’s work starts in earnest, it will be critical to reach the array of reporters whose beat (political, economic, crime, etc.) overlap with the research that the task force will do.
Reporters must know that local, state, and federal reparations must include a financial component but should not stop there. Having this perspective will inform how they approach their reporting throughout the entire process.
Engage Artists, Cultural Makers, and New York Influencers
One of the largest roadblocks in California, at least from my view, was the lack of awareness of the Reparations Taskforce across the broader California public. This was a sentiment echoed by Dr. Cheryl Grills, one of the commissioners on the CA task force, in a call focused on local reparations last month.
The sad truth is that more than 80 percent of all Americans get their news from their phone, and according to a study by the Media Insight Project (though it’s now almost ten years old), 60 percent of Americans read nothing more than the headline of a news article.
New Yorkers may be some of the busiest people on the planet — we are constantly moving and rarely have time to sit, read, and digest the news.
To spread awareness about the task force, we’ll have to get creative, which will mean engaging those who shape New York culture. Here are just some things I’d like to see over the next two years:
The New York Knicks wear reparations warm-ups before their games
Kith, the streetwear brand, and the Yankees collaborate on a special Yankees X Reparations hat and have the proceeds go toward the Task Force’s work.
New York Nico profiles a different reparations organization/organizer over the course of the lifecycle of the Task Force’s work.
Trinity Wall Street hold a public truth-telling series where they educate New Yorkers about the history of the church and slavery.
The Apollo hosts monthly screenings of reparations-related documentaries and films.
The billboard space on Lafayette and Crosby, which often features Clavin Klein ads to be dedicated to a historic reparations figure (perhaps Queen Mother Audley Moore)
I’ll always have love for reporters and the work that they do — but we have to start putting more of our energy into engaging the public about our advocacy through other mediums.
Get All Black New Yorkers & Black-Led Community Groups Involved
While there are organizations such as the Dec 12 movement and N’COBRA who have advocated and organized for reparations federally and in New York for decades, it’ll be imperative that all Black-led racial justice-focused organizations are involved in this process.
These organizations reach and maintain broad bases of people in communities across the state. It is through the engagement of these organizations that we will be able to build the capacity to enact a transformation in power.
No single Black person or Black organization will have all of the answers to what reparations can and should look like in New York. It’ll take all of us collectively.
National News
New York Times: Reparations Are a Financial Quandary. For Democrats, They’re a Political One, Too.
NPR: The Catholic Church profited from slavery — 'The 272' explains how
Washington Post: How Reparations for Black Americans Have Gained Steam
New York Times: A New Front in Reparations: Seeking the Return of Lost Family Land
Medium: Reinvigorating the Reparations Conversation with Fresh Ideas and Approaches
Wall Street Journal: Reparations for Slavery? California’s Bad Idea Catches On (the views of this opinion do not represent those of the newsletter)
ABC News: Rep. Cori Bush says $14 trillion reparations bill will 'eliminate the racial wealth gap'
New York Times: Reparations Are a Financial Quandary. For Democrats, They’re a Political One, Too.
New York Times: From Martha’s Vineyard to Cleveland: Celebrating the Day Slavery Ended
KQED: Inspired by Black Leaders, Japanese Americans Got Reparations After WWII
The Root: A Guide to Reparations Payouts and Promises in America
NBC News: Parallel reparations efforts gain momentum in California and Capitol Hill
The Hill: Black leaders push new resolution on reparations
The Economist: California’s reparations scheme is bad policy and worse politics (This opinion is not reflective of the newsletter)
BET: Bush Foundation To Give Away $50M To Slave Descendants In Minnesota And Dakotas
Mother Jones: Christopher Rufo Launched the Critical Race Theory Panic. He Isn’t Done.
Yes! Magazine: Decolonizing Black Women’s Health Through Land Reparations
Washington Post: A major group of family genealogists apologizes for past racism
Regional News
NBC News: Everything you need to know about California’s reparations report
USA Today: New York lawmakers pass 'historic' bill to consider reparations for slavery
New York Amsterdam News: Protestors demand no ‘back room politics’ in NYS reparations commission discussions
NJISJ: Say The Word: Reparations in New Jersey
New York Times: The Push for Reparations at Dodger Stadium
Washington Post: Reparations fight will not be won anytime soon, but they are all in
KALW: Figuring out the cost for SF reparations
Fox 26: Juneteenth Emancipation Trail Bike Ride: Houston retraces route freed slaves traveled from Galveston
Washington Post: Uncovering modern slavery in D.C.’s suburbs
Politico: Dream of reparations hits political reality in California
WTTW: Illinois Commission Aims to Research Reparations, Educate Public About the Issue
Bloomberg: California Looks to Create a Blueprint for Reparations: Big Take Podcast
The Economist: California may punt on paying reparations to the descendants of slaves
SF Chronicle: Time for S.F. Mayor London Breed to say where she stands on reparations
NPR: Advocates: Reparations are the answer for sea level threat in West Oakland, Calif.
Chronicle of Philanthropy: Arrests of 3 Atlanta Charity Board Members in a SWAT-Team Raid Is Highly Unusual, Maybe Unconstitutional
Forbes: California Land Back: The Movement For Indigenous Sovereignty And Land Restoration
NPR: In many Southern states, June 3 celebrates the leader of the Confederacy
The Hill: In viral video, man says Tampa owes each Black resident $3M in reparations
Fox News: California's reparations scam: Michael Jackson's kids would get payouts (tw: racist)
New Yorker: The Black Families Seeking Reparations in California’s Gold Country
Yes! Magazine: Will California Realize Reparations to Its Black Residents?
The Hill: Reality finally comes for California’s reparations plan
Cal Matters: Reparations panel recommends possible millions for eligible Black Californians
KTLA: Black Californians hope state reparations don’t become another broken promise
New York Times: Can Reparations Bring Black Residents Back to San Francisco?
International News
Grist: Study: US owes $80 trillion in climate reparations
Human Rights Watch: Germany, Namibia Need a Rights-Respecting Reparations Process
CNN: Google removes ‘Slavery Simulator’ game from store following a wave of criticism in Brazil
The Guardian: Rich countries with high greenhouse gas emissions could pay $170tn in climate reparations
Hyperallergic: Portugal Hospital Removes Artwork About Its Slavery Ties