This is Jacqueline Luqman outside of the Rayburn House Office Building, where inside the hearing
on reparations is being held–the first hearing on reparations in almost a decade.
Inside, Ta-Nehesi Coates, Danny Glover, Cory Booker, and several other House Democrats
and Republicans, as well as other historians, intellectuals, and academics, are testifying
on the need for reparations for not just slavery, but for the legacy of racism and discrimination
that happened after slavery that contributed to, and some will argue even created, the
massive racial wealth and income gap that exists between black and white Americans today.
We see it every day.
Just recently with the excessive force used in Phoenix against that young couple of the
four year old girl who walked out of the store with a doll, and they tormented that family
because of their racist views.
Coalitions formed by groups of people across different faith traditions and different generations
expressed the need to pursue reparative justice through these hearings as a first step.
We were all brought here on the same ships, on the plantation.
And when there was time to lynch, our people, going into the 1900s, when lynchings were
wholesale throughout the country, they didn’t stop to ask whether you are a Christian or
whether one is a Muslim, and they don’t ask today under the whip of police brutality
what religion they are.
They know that we’re black people.
We may not come one together on every tiny little detail.
Everybody that is on the side of this wall, I’m seeing different people from different
races and different religions.
But what I do see is people do understand when they see injustice.
And when you see it going on continuously at some point someone has to stand.
So I told my children when they get older, when this time–and they’re looking back
in history, I want them to say that my father stood for something, and he stood up for justice.
We’re here to hold a strong line.
We’re here to say that this goes beyond steady, and that we have calculated as attorneys
that at least $10 trillion in financial compensation is due right now.
We have calculated that at least acres in territory that could equivocate up to at least
nine states are due right now to our people.
We understand that our calls may be represented here in Congress, but if Congress can’t
handle this, the international forums and arenas must be pursued; the United Nations
and other forms.
Worldwide pressure must be brought upon–to bear upon our cause.
He mentioned the figure $10 trillion, and that speaks to a legal case.
Of course, Dr. Charles Ogletree has done some work, a lot of work, a lot of foundational
work on the legal case for reparations.
Does this effort pick up on his work, or is this different?
So though we come up with a figure of $10 trillion, best believe that that doesn’t
account for the many millions of enslaved Africans that had to jump over the ship that
is in the bottom of the ocean right now.
It doesn’t account for those that died during the middle passage.
It doesn’t account for a lot of people that have suffered under the yoke of Western imperialism,
under the yoke of Europeanism and Americanism.
So that figure is just something that is slightly quantifiable in a sense of what compensation
could be had for us as an African people living under the yoke of the American system.
But all of this is connected with regards to reparations, because we want reparations
not only in the United States.
We want reparations for our people in the Caribbean.
We want reparations for people that are in Europe.
We want reparations for all of the African people that have been subjected to the transatlantic
slave trade.
And let’s not forget about the Arab slave trade, as well.
All right.
Final question.
$10 trillion.
What do you say to people who say we can’t afford it.
Please.
You can afford it.
If you can afford to bomb the Middle East, if you can afford to overthrow governments
in Africa, if you can afford to involve yourself in Latin America and all the imperialism that’s
going on there, you can take a little bit of that money and put it toward our people
who have been enslaved under the yoke of Americanism.
We spoke with Adjoa Aiyetoro, a professor of law at the University of Arkansas at Little
Rock, and a founding member of N’COBRA, who said that she was encouraged by this hearing,
the turnout, and even of the participation of some Republican lawmakers.
But she also made clear that she understands that there is a lot of fight ahead in this
battle for reparations.
I was the co-chair of an NCBl, National Council of Black Lawyers, when we founded NCOBRA.
What is NCOBRA?
NCOBRA is the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America, co-founded by
National Council of Black Lawyers, RNA, and New African People’s Organization.
So I know you’re running, you’re on your way.
Are you encouraged by this hearing?
I’m very encouraged.
We’ve been working around reparations since the early ’80s.
This is tremendous to have this hearing.
We’ve had other hearings, but not with this level of participation from the Republicans,
which means that it’s going to gather more steam, because now it can be seen as something
that we really need to address.
This panel here is fabulous, as well.
So you said the involvement of the Republicans.
Are the Republicans who are expressing support?
Well, there have been in the past.
On this panel I don’t know, because I had to leave early.
The point being, though, that when you get both parties at the table, you can begin to
push through some understandings that may lead to passage of this bill.
I am not naive.
I know we have still an uphill battle.
I’m not naive that even all the Democrats are going to get behind it, much less a lot
of Republicans.
My feeling, however, is being at the table means they’re willing–some of them, not
all, by any means–are willing to discuss it seriously.
People from all walks of life were here standing on long lines to wait to get into the hearing
room or into the overflow room to witness this historic event in this ongoing fight
for reparations for African Americans.
People are also here to acknowledge that they are the ones who have to educate their communities
on the need to pursue this justice, not just for African Americans, but why it’s important
for all of us.
Well, I’m here because I believe that it’s time to make amends to people of color for
the 400 years of exploitation and oppression and unpaid forced wages in captivity, and
just, you know, the just incredible wrongdoings that people of my color have perpetrated on
people of color.
And I think it’s important for what I had shared with you, it’s important for white
people to educate other white people about history that we may never have heard about.
White people who are resistant to reparations say that it’s a handout, and that we can’t
afford it, and why should we pay for what our ancestors did, or we never owned slaves,
and those kinds of responses.
How do you respond, understanding that it’s white people who need to educate white people
on why this is important?
Well, you know, my ancestors were never slave owners, but I know throughout my life when
I applied for college, when I applied for jobs, when I went to get a mortgage for my
home, when I rented apartments, that I’ve gotten a privilege that people of color have
not just because of the color of my skin.
And you know, I think if we’re ever going to move forward as a country, just like we
did for Japanese internment camps, just like we’ve done to a much, much smaller extent
than needed for Native Americans, we need to make amends and make reparations to people
of color.
Thank you so much for your time.
Are you going to stand out here for the whole time?
Because the hearing room a small.
You’ve been out here, everybody’s been out here since 9:30 this morning when we got
here.
Are you going to stand out here for the whole thing?
I am.
I’m here in solidarity.
If I can’t get in and watch, I just want to be here and show that white people care.
Thank you so much.
I should say, some white people care.
So I don’t want to speak for all white people, but I care.
We will see what happens with this hearing.
But it seems to be a good start, or a good restart, to a very important conversation.
This is Jacqueline Luqman in Washington D.C. at the Rayburn House Office Building.
This is The Real News Network.