#1281 The Politics and Principle of Reparations
Best of the Left - Leftist Perspectives on Progressive Politics, News, Culture, Economics and Democracy
Jay Tomlinson
4.5 • 3.4K Ratings
🗓️ 15 June 2019
⏱️ 76 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Air Date: 6/14/2019
Today we take a look at the renewed call for reparations for slavery, Jim Crow and beyond that is infusing the 2020 Democratic primary campaign as well as the history of the campaign for reparations
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SHOW NOTES
Ch. 1: 40 Acres and A Mule, Today with Brian Balogh and William Darity - BackStory - Air Date 5-24-19
The racial wealth gap is real, and it's large. Reconstruction after the Civil War took some good steps, but all that work was undone. Don't believe the myth that the black community doesn't have wealth because of their own problems.
After the Emancipation Proclamation, Slave Owners received reparations - creating a narrative that legitimized slavery and enforced poor race relations, essentially canceling the debt our nation owed black lives.
Open a congressional committee on reparations, and recognize we need massive progressive policy AND reparations. Stop blaming black lives for their place in the world.
Callie House launched the first widespread reparations movement, despite concentrated attacks from the Federal Government to stop her.
Ch. 5: Renewed Reparations Conversations with Neil, Natalia and Niki - Past Present - Air Date 4-9-19
Support for reparations is growing. Ta-Nehisi Coates sparked the fire. Wealth has been denied to black lives for centuries, and we need widespread policies and radical change to enact proper reparations work.
Bernie has an amazing imagination and pushes the Overton Window to the left on every issue - except reparations and black lives. The establishment is using this to hurt Bernie's campaign, despite also not caring about black people.
Ch. 7: Radical Case for Reparations with Glen Ford - This Is Hell - Air Date 4-25-19
Reparations are: Acknowledgement of injustices on the parts of the perpetrators. Restitution for the effects of injustices. Mutual recognition of the part of the victimized communities and perpetrator that the debt is paid.
VOICEMAILS
Ch. 8: Focus on rape ban exceptions is useless - Heather from Texas
Ch. 9: Trump and the long line of bad presidents - Brandon from Chicago
FINAL COMMENTS
Ch. 10: Final comments on the life vs legal personhood distinction and how impeachment could usher out the era of impunity we’ve been living in for decades.
EDUCATE YOURSELF & SHARE
Ta-Nehisi Coates Revisits The Case for Reparations(The New Yorker)
The Case for Reparations(Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Atlantic, 2014)
What Reparations for Slavery Might Look Like in 2019(The New York Times)
Long Before Redlining: Racial Disparities in Homeownership Need Intentional Policies(Shelterforce)
After Redlining - Part 2(Shelterforce)
What We Get Wrong About the Closing the Racial Wealth Gap(Social Equity, Duke University, 2018)
1.5 Million Missing Black Men(NY Times, 2015)
How a ‘segregation tax’ is costing black American homeowners $156 billion(Curbed)
Curated by BOTL Communications Director Amanda Hoffman
MUSIC(Blue Dot Sessions):
- Opening Theme: Loving Acoustic Instrumental by John Douglas Orr
- Contrarian - Sketchbook
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- Begrudge - Darby
- Swapping Tubes - Studio J
- Chilvat - Lillehammer
- Voicemail Music: Low Key Lost Feeling Electro by Alex Stinnent
- Closing Music: Upbeat Laid Back Indie Rock by Alex Stinnent
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This program is made possible by members and donors, so a huge thanks to everyone who |
| 0:07.5 | contributes on Patreon to support the show. |
| 0:10.2 | And now welcome to this episode of the award-winning Best of Left podcast, in which we shall learn |
| 0:15.1 | about the history of and renewed call for reparations for slavery, Jim Crow, and beyond |
| 0:22.3 | that is infusing the 2020 Democratic Primary Campaign. |
| 0:25.9 | Clips today come from backstory, pod save the people, tiny spark, past present, the Benjamin |
| 0:32.6 | Dixon show, and this is hell. |
| 0:34.8 | I think the entire trajectory of how racial economic inequality has evolved in the United |
| 0:46.6 | States would have been completely altered had the initial land allocation been made to |
| 0:52.0 | the formerly enslaved. |
| 0:53.9 | This is William Darrity. |
| 0:55.8 | He's an expert on the racial wealth gap, and he's studied wealth inequality for decades. |
| 1:01.7 | Here he's talking about a policy from 1865 known as 40 Acres in Immune. |
| 1:08.0 | My suspicion is that we would not have this conversation or need the conversation about |
| 1:15.5 | reparations at all had the initial order been implemented. |
| 1:21.2 | Before the end of the Civil War, General William Sherman issued an order that promised |
| 1:26.0 | ex-slaves a large swath of coastal land that ran from northern Florida all the way up |
| 1:31.3 | into South Carolina. |
| 1:33.6 | Each family would be given up to 40 Acres to farm and build a new prosperous life. |
| 1:40.3 | This designation was made and actually executed up to the point where upwards of, I believe, |
| 1:50.0 | 4,000 slave families were settled on the lands, but the lands were subsequently taken |
| 1:56.4 | from them and returned to the slave holders or the former slave holders by Andrew Johnson. |
... |
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