Multiple Distinct Proposals for Reparations for African-Americans
1. Individual Cash Payments to Descendants of Slavery
Lump-sum or annual payments to Black Americans descended from enslaved people.
Amounts proposed range from $100,000 to over $1 million per person, depending on the methodology (e.g., wealth gap, wages stolen, labor hours unpaid).
Example: William A. Darity Jr. & A. Kristen Mullen’s book From Here to Equality proposes $10–12 trillion in federal payments. William Darity's FAQ on Reparations
2. H.R. 40 – The Commission to Study Reparations
First introduced by Rep. John Conyers in 1989 and reintroduced annually since (currently led by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee).
Would create a federal commission to study reparations and develop proposals.
📄 Key Goal: Establish the federal government’s responsibility and develop policy responses.
🔗 H.R. 40 Summary from Congress.gov
3. Evanston, IL Housing Reparations
First U.S. city to enact a reparations policy (2021).
Provided $25,000 housing grants to eligible Black residents as reparations for redlining and discrimination.
🔗 Evanston's Reparations Initiative
4. California Reparations Task Force (2019–2023)
Developed a detailed report proposing:
Cash payments for harms such as overpolicing and housing discrimination.
Formal apology from the state.
Structural reforms in education, health care, and criminal justice.
🔗 California Final Reparations Report
5. Free College / Student Debt Cancellation
Proposal to erase student debt or offer free higher education to Black Americans as a form of reparation for unequal access to education.
Example: Included in The Movement for Black Lives (M4BL) reparations platform.
🔗 M4BL Reparations Policy
Universal Healthcare for Descendants
Some advocates call for free or subsidized healthcare to Black communities, citing racial disparities and historical medical abuse (e.g., Tuskegee Study, forced sterilizations).
Proposed by groups like the National African American Reparations Commission (NAARC).
🔗 NAARC's 10-Point Reparations Plan
7. Restoration of Land or Property
Return or compensate for land taken through violence, fraud, or eminent domain (e.g., Bruce’s Beach in California).
Public housing, rent subsidies, or zero-interest loans are also proposed.
Examples:
Bruce family received land returned by Los Angeles County.
Tulsa Massacre survivors have sued for restitution.
🔗 Bruce’s Beach Case Overview
8. Tax Incentives and Start-up Capital
Provide business grants, tax exemptions, or subsidized loans for Black entrepreneurs.
Includes proposals for Black banks, mutual aid funds, and community investment.
Examples: Included in M4BL platform and NAARC’s plan.
9. Church and University Apologies + Endowments
Institutions that benefited from slavery (e.g., Jesuit order, Georgetown University, Princeton Theological Seminary) have issued apologies and created funds.
Georgetown created a $100M reparations fund for descendants of enslaved people sold by the university in 1838.
🔗 Georgetown’s Slavery, Memory, and Reconciliation Project
10. National Apology and Truth Commission
Demand for an official federal apology for slavery, segregation, and ongoing discrimination.
Often paired with a Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Example: The U.S. House and Senate passed separate non-binding slavery apologies (2008 and 2009), but no coordinated federal apology or reparations package followed.
11. Right of Return / Dual Citizenship
Proposals for dual citizenship, land grants, or resettlement opportunities in African nations for descendants of enslaved people.
Ghana’s “Year of Return” (2019) was a symbolic example, but others call for formal legal rights or land reparations.
🔗 Ghana’s Year of Return Campaign
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References and Resources
NAARC's 10-Point Reparations Plan
https://www.ibw21.org/reparations/naarc/HR 40 (Commission to Study Reparations)
https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/40California Reparations Task Force Final Report
https://oag.ca.gov/ab3121/reportsM4BL Reparations Policy
https://m4bl.org/policy-platforms/reparations/William Darity Jr. – From Here to Equality
https://www.fromheretoequality.org/Georgetown Slavery, Memory, and Reconciliation
https://slavery.georgetown.edu/