Legacy of Slavery: Reparations

Reparations for slavery is a proposal that some type of compensation should be provided to the descendants of enslaved people in the United States, in consideration of the coerced and uncompensated labor their ancestors performed over centuries. This compensation has been proposed in a variety of forms, from individual monetary payments to land-based compensation schemes related to independence. The idea remains highly controversial and no broad consensus exists as to how it could be implemented. There have been similar calls for reparations from some Caribbean countries and elsewhere in the African diaspora, and some African countries have called for reparations to their states for the loss of their population.



"The Shocking Truth In: Slavery, Reparations & White Supremacy" is an educational manuscript about the atrocities of slavery, how it is still effecting African-Americans today, and what should be done to help improve their present state in this nation and world. It is by Salim Abdul-Khaliq, and edited by Hannah Faye. WARNING: What you are about to read may wake you up, shake you up and cause you to take immediate action!









“My face is black is true but its not my fault but I love my name and my honest dealing with my fellow man.” –Callie House (1899)In this groundbreaking book, acclaimed historian Dr. Mary Frances Berry resurrects the remarkable story of ex-slave Callie House (1861-1928) who, seventy years before the civil-rights movement, headed a demand for ex-slave reparations. A widowed Nashville washerwoman and mother of five, House went on to fight for African American pensions based on those offered to Union soldiers, brilliantly targeting $68 million in taxes on seized rebel cotton and demanding it as repayment for centuries of unpaid labor. Here is the fascinating story of a forgotten civil rights crusader: a woman who emerges as a courageous pioneering activist, a forerunner of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr.



This entry in the Lucent Library of Black History series looks in depth at the arguments for and against compensation for the descendants of slaves. Prominent activists cited in the book blame slavery for continuing racial inequality and cite compensation paid to Japanese Americans imprisoned during World War II and to victims of the Holocaust. Opposing views come from conservatives and those who fear compensation could increase hostility and send damaging, victimizing messages. With detailed source notes and occasional photos, this important title will deepen students’ understanding. Grades 7-12. --Hazel Rochman