Resource List
ARTICLES
WHY WE NEED REPARATIONS FOR BLACK AMERICANS | a Brookings Institute analysis of the lasting economic impacts of slavery on African Americans in the United States, along with a policy brief on potential remediations
NYT – KING COTTON’S LONG SHADOW | a New York Times editorial by Walter Johnson, professor of African and African-American Studies at Harvard, exploring the bailout given to white former slaveholders in the wake of the Civil War and the deep connection between cotton and slavery in America
THE ATLANTIC – THE CASE FOR REPARATIONS | a 2014 Atlantic article that went viral, bringing attention to the topic of reparations for Black Americans. It discusses in depth the fallout of slavery and various forms of systemic racism.
NYT – WHAT STUDENTS ARE SAYING ABOUT REPARATIONS, WHAT THEY WANT TO
LEARN IN SCHOOL, AND INDIVIDUALITY | a New York Times article exploring teen student perspectives on the topic of reparations
TRUTH COMMISSIONS IN SOUTH KOREA: LESSONS LEARNED | an article by Hun Joon Kim on transitional justice in South Korea as it relates to the Jeju Island Uprising. It analyzes the actions and outcomes of the Jeju Commission.
REPARATION, RESTORATION, INCARCERATION: COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVES ON AFRICAN-AMERICAN REPARATIONS | an article by Michael A. Livingston, discussing the reparations discourse as it exists today, highlighting obstacles to practical action at the historical level both also within the African American community
KOREAN TROJAN WOMEN: PERFORMING WARTIME SEXUAL VIOLENCE | an article by Elizabeth W. Son discussing the use of theatrical performance as a means of redressing historical sexual violence against Korean women
MCFN – MOVEMENTS HAVE A LONG HISTORY OF PLAYING THE INSIDE-OUTSIDE
GAME EFFECTIVELY | an article by the Metta Center for Nonviolence, discussing how social movements often exist in tension with state power regarding whether to challenge or wield it, but that many movements use both simultaneously to transform society
MCFN – HOW TO BUILD A CULTURE OF SUPPORT SO LEADERS AND MOVEMENTS
CAN THRIVE | an article by the Metta Center for Nonviolence, discussing the importance of building networks of support within social movements to foster a sustainable, healthy leadership within them
RETHINKING SCHOOLS – REPARATIONS CAN BE WON – AND MUST BE TAUGHT | an article discussing reparationist education in Chicago public schools, looking at the outcomes, resistance, and policy surrounding the practice. It includes links to the city ordinance that supports reparations as well as links to middle- and high-school curriculum for students on the subject, though the links are currently broken.
H.R. 40 AND THE PATH TO RESTORATIVE JUSTICE | H.R. 40 and the path to restorative justice: Hearing before the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties of the Committee on the Judiciary, House of Representatives, One Hundred Sixteenth Congress, first session, June 19, 2019. (2020). U.S. Government Publishing Office.
MARYLAND HB594: HARRIET TUBMAN COMMUNITY REINVESTMENT ACT | a Maryland state bill establishing compensation for descendants of those enslaved by the state, incorporating a variety of economic benefits for those individuals
NAARC – REPARATIONS PLAN | the National African American Reparations Commission’s Preliminary 10 Point Reparations Program is a document for review, revision and adoption as a platform to guide the struggle for Reparations for people of African descent in the U.S.
BERKELEY NEWS – A DISCUSSION ON REPARATIONS: CALIFORNIA AND BEYOND | an article discussing the recent task force in California focused on studying and offering policy recommendations regarding reparations. It includes a virtual roundtable discussion on the subject held at UC Berkeley as a part of
their Berkeley Conversations series.
NPR – THE REPARATION CONVERSATION HAS LONG BEEN PART OF BLACK MUSIC | a National Public Radio feature on the topic of reparations in Black music
THE MOGULDOM NATION – HOW BLACK MUSIC HAS SUPPORTED THE REPARATIONS MOVEMENT | an article discussing how reparations has been a continual theme in Black music through history. It includes examples of songs on the subject.
MEDIA
NPR – THE STORY BEHIND ’40 ACRES AND A MULE’ | a podcast by National Public Radio discussing the historical event known as “40 Acres and a Mule,” a rebuked
attempt to provide support for freed slaves after the Civil War
REPARATIONS: THE BIG PAYBACK | a narrative podcast exploring the arguments for and against reparations for Black Americans. Through the storytelling and experiences of the hosts, the podcast introduces the subject of reparations, the structures and institutions perpetuating racism and rooted in slavery, and what reparations could look like.
PBS – ORIGIN OF EVERYTHING: THE HISTORY OF REPARATIONS | a educational video from the Public Broadcasting Service exploring the history of reparations for Black Americans
PBS – THE ATONEMENT AGENDA: DEFINING REPARATIONS | a video by the Public Broadcasting Service with a panel of experts discussing reparations and its capacity to close the racial wealth gap
SEGREGATED BY DESIGN | an animated short film highlighting the impacts of segregation as enacted by federal, state, and local law throughout the US
BLIND BOXES – REPARATIONS: A PROVOCATIVE COLLECTION BY IVAN BRENS | an article showcasing art by Ivan Brens on the topic of reparations
EVANSTON COMMUNITY FOUNDATION – FIRSTHAND: SEGREGATION | a YouTube video created by the Evanston Community Foundation exploring the legacy of segregation and the topic of reparations today
MCFN – REPARATIONS AND RESTORATIVE JUSTICE – NOT RETRIBUTION | a podcast episode by the Metta Center for Nonviolence, discussing the dimensions of reparations for Black Americans and how it extends beyond simple economic terms
RESTORATIVE JUSTICE: US NORMS FOR COMPENSATING HARMS & IMPLICATIONS FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN RESTITUTION | a Harvard webinar discussing the systematized financial harms endured by African Americans, mapped by the presenters and brought into conversation with the possibility for restorative justice action to remedy those injuries
JACK: REPARATIONS365 | Reparations365 is a series of theatrical performances by the community organization JACK, focused on performances centering dialogues on the topic of reparations
ABC NEWS: HOW THE 1ST CITY TO FUND REPARATIONS PULLED IT OFF | a video from ABC News on how Evanston, Illinois worked to address its history of racism and fund a reparations policy
NBCI – CORRECTING CULTURAL MISINFORMATION ON REPARATIONS | a YouTube video by the National Black Cultural Information Trust, seeking to counter myths perpetrated during the 2020 elections about the topic of reparations. It discusses reparations as an idea as well as potential policy directions to take.
TEDXSANJUANISLAND – LET’S TALK ABOUT RACE | a TEDx presentation by Shelly Tochluk on how to talk about race from a white perspective. It discusses the complexities arising from coming to a conversation on race from different identities and offers ideas for how to bridge the divide between people.
THE LIE THAT INVESTED RACISM | a TED Talk presentation by journalist John Biewen, discussing the origin of race as a concept, tracing historical ideas back to the present day in order to demystify racism
TEDXRAINIER – LET’S GET TO THE ROOT OF RACIAL INJUSTICE | a TEDx presentation by Professor Megan Ming Francis, discussing the core issues of the current climate on race and problematizing “fix-all” solutions to a complex social problem
TEDXANTIOCH – WHAT I AM LEARNING FROM MY WHITE GRANDCHILDREN | a TEDx presentation by African American educator Anthony Peterson, discussing America’s current racial climate, drawing on perspectives from his grandchildren
HKS – RESTORATIVE JUSTICE: US NORMS FOR COMPENSATING HARMS & IMPLICATIONS FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN RESTITUTION | a webinar from the Harvard Kennedy School discussing how existing federal compensation mechanisms can be retasked to address and work toward reparations
NPR – PHOTOS: WHAT DO REPARATIONS MEAN TO ME? | a NPR photo essay on the Rally 4 Reparations event in Washington D.C.
EDUCATOR RESOURCES
CENTRE FOR THE STUDY OF THE LEGACIES OF BRITISH SLAVERY | a database cataloguing the £20 billion in economic compensation given to former British slaveholders after English emancipation, paid by the nation’s taxpayers. It additionally catalogues the identity of all slave-owners and their estates at the time slavery ended.
THE ATLANTIC: HOW DID WE GET HERE? | The Atlantic’s collection of articles on the topic of slavery and racism, spanning 163 years. Authors include historical figures such as Fredrick Douglass, Booker T. Washington, W. E. B. Du Bois, as well as modern writers.
SOCIAL JUSTICE BOOKS: SLAVERY, RESISTANCE, AND REPARATIONS | a database of books discussing the topics of slavery, resistance, and reparations, categorized at various educational levels from elementary to adulthood
TEACHING FOR CHANGE: BUILDING SOCIAL JUSTICE STARTING IN THE CLASSROOM | a collection of educator resources by Teaching for Change, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting social justice action in the classroom. Each subject includes articles, book lists, lessons, media, and other resources on the following topics: Anti-Bias Education, Black Lives Matters at School, Challenging Islamophobia, Civil Rights Teaching, Books on Social Justice, Teaching Central America, Teach the Beat: Go-Go, The Zinn Education Project
ZINN EDUCATION PROJECT – HOW TO MAKE AMENDS: A LESSON ON REPARATIONS | an educational activity developed for the Zinn Education Project on the topic of reparations. It includes teaching materials and downloadable handouts.
ZINN EDUCATION PROJECT – STUDENTS DESIGN A REPARATIONS BILL | an educational activity developed for the Zinn Education Project on the topic of reparations. It includes teaching materials.
ZINN EDUCATION PROJECT – 40 ACRES AND A MULE: ROLE-PLAYING WHAT
RECONSTRUCTION COULD HAVE BEEN | an educational activity developed for the Zinn Education Project on the topic of the Reconstruction and the “40 Acres and a Mule” event. It includes full teaching materials off-site.
ZINN EDUCATION PROJECT – ECHOES OF ENSLAVEMENT | an educational activity developed for the Zinn Education Project and using excerpts from the book How the Word is Passed by Clint Smith. Students explore their environment to identify the lasting traces of slavery in their communities.
C3 TEACHERS – REPARATIONS | aimed at grades 6-8, an Inquiry Design Model lesson plan by the educational organization C3 Teachers to exploring the topic of reparations, its controversies, and BIPOC narratives surrounding the subject.
MORNINGSIDE CENTER – REPARATIONS LESSON SERIES | a 3-part lesson series by the Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility on the topic of reparations, beginning with an analysis of the call for reparations, an exploration of what it could be, and a deeper analysis of reparations as a policy issue.
M4BL – REPARATIONS NOW TOOLKIT | an activist toolkit by the Movement for Black Lives on the topic of reparations, including a historical accounting of the lasting impacts of slavery, tools for group discussion, case studies, and additional activities
CTTT – REPARATIONS… THE TIME IS NOW! | a comprehensive toolkit created by the Coming to the Table working group, a program of Restorative Justice for Oakland Youth. This document offers information to help define reparations as well as offer concrete steps that can lead to restoration and reconciliation.
#REPARATIONS SYLLABUS | A comprehensive educational curriculum by the University of Minnesota Libraries on understanding the history, context, and arguments for reparations for Black Americans. It includes a wide variety of models, perspectives, and models to understand the subject.