WEBVTT - The DEBT - "$15 a N*gger" 0:00:00.080 --> 0:00:03.040 Welcome to Reparations, The Big Payback, a production of Color 0:00:03.080 --> 0:00:08.240 Farm Media, I Heart Radio and The Black Effect Podcast Network. Reparations. 0:00:08.760 --> 0:00:11.400 What is it? It is the making of amends for 0:00:11.480 --> 0:00:14.720 a wrong that one has done by paying money to 0:00:15.320 --> 0:00:18.680 or otherwise helping those who have been wronged. It comes 0:00:18.720 --> 0:00:23.319 from two words repair and action. So thus it is 0:00:23.360 --> 0:00:27.720 the action of repairing the damage that one has caused. 0:00:28.640 --> 0:00:38.320 It is a now and we need it now. You 0:00:38.479 --> 0:00:42.040 tell him, Rizza, you got debt? White America? Protect your neck? 0:00:42.440 --> 0:00:53.040 Who turned America? Alexander and I'm Whitney down. Mhm. There 0:00:53.080 --> 0:00:56.400 it is. It all comes down to one thing, debt. 0:00:57.080 --> 0:00:59.360 If we rang up all the debt white Americans ow 0:00:59.400 --> 0:01:02.040 the black amer Perkins, it would be fifty times longer 0:01:02.080 --> 0:01:08.479 than the CVS received picture that Whitney. That's mighty long. 0:01:08.880 --> 0:01:11.600 Did you know that you're hundreds of years ahead of 0:01:11.640 --> 0:01:14.320 me because you were born a white man in America? 0:01:14.760 --> 0:01:17.200 But you owe me a debt that is simple? Thank 0:01:17.240 --> 0:01:20.880 you can't fix well, you know, Erica, I always thank you. 0:01:21.160 --> 0:01:24.200 But what is this debt that we're talking about? Is 0:01:24.240 --> 0:01:26.560 it something that I owe you personally or is this 0:01:26.720 --> 0:01:29.039 something that all white people of black people you know, 0:01:29.760 --> 0:01:33.200 you're the big star. I'm just a documentary filmmaker. I 0:01:33.280 --> 0:01:36.880 never enslaved anybody by relatives, as far as I know, didn't. 0:01:36.920 --> 0:01:38.920 What is this thing that I actually Oh, how has 0:01:39.000 --> 0:01:42.000 this debt been accrued? And how do you think I 0:01:42.000 --> 0:01:44.280 should be repaying it one dollar at a time? You 0:01:44.319 --> 0:01:47.360 know we've done this before. It's so funny how white 0:01:47.360 --> 0:01:50.520 amnesia sits in, like how do I pay for the debts? 0:01:50.520 --> 0:01:52.480 How do I pay for stuff that I've done wrong 0:01:52.680 --> 0:01:54.760 or you know, in the past. But you know, listen, 0:01:55.080 --> 0:01:57.840 this is what the whole podcast is about. It's about 0:01:57.840 --> 0:01:59.720 the fact that if you can't see it and you 0:01:59.760 --> 0:02:02.560 don't think you owe it, and there's no invoice, then 0:02:02.600 --> 0:02:06.160 how is it your debt? And there's the rub, So yeah, 0:02:06.320 --> 0:02:08.360 you gotta get to it. The other part of this 0:02:08.480 --> 0:02:12.200 is that you got interests, okay, because this debt keeps 0:02:12.240 --> 0:02:14.680 growing whether you think it's there or not. It's like 0:02:14.720 --> 0:02:17.639 a mountain. So yeah, something's got to happen. This is 0:02:17.680 --> 0:02:20.600 the big question that I think all white people ask themselves. 0:02:20.880 --> 0:02:23.360 Whether you're someone who believes that black people are owed 0:02:23.440 --> 0:02:26.280 something or whether you believe that black people aren't owed something, 0:02:26.280 --> 0:02:28.720 you're always like asking yourself, how do I fit into this? 0:02:28.800 --> 0:02:31.280 Do I owe something personally? Is that the government? And 0:02:31.360 --> 0:02:33.560 what does it actually mean to owe something? What is 0:02:33.600 --> 0:02:37.200 the thing that I've gotten by being white that I 0:02:37.400 --> 0:02:40.760 need to repay? Well, I don't think it's what you've gotten, 0:02:41.120 --> 0:02:43.560 only it's what you can't see. And it is invisible 0:02:43.600 --> 0:02:46.200 because it's built inside the structures and institutions and the 0:02:46.240 --> 0:02:49.680 banking and the real estate and the military and everything 0:02:50.240 --> 0:02:53.920 that makes America America. But listen, I got the receipts 0:02:54.440 --> 0:02:57.200 and it dates back to how you and I both 0:02:57.240 --> 0:02:59.680 got started in life. And this will show the effects 0:02:59.680 --> 0:03:02.840 of the at pretty clearly. In fact, to demonstrate the 0:03:02.880 --> 0:03:07.359 invisible advantages of your so called magnificent whiteness and the 0:03:07.440 --> 0:03:12.200 unseen disparity of my glorious blackness, some genius created a 0:03:12.200 --> 0:03:15.560 contest called the Privilege Game. We're gonna play it outdoors 0:03:15.560 --> 0:03:17.560 because we need plenty of role Actually, I know the 0:03:17.600 --> 0:03:26.520 perfect place to play this. Okay, good, so, Erica. You 0:03:26.560 --> 0:03:30.040 know we're gonna do this privileged walk, right. I thought'd 0:03:30.040 --> 0:03:34.399 be interesting to do it at General Grant's tune. Wow, 0:03:34.920 --> 0:03:37.200 obviously he was, you know, you know, the winning general 0:03:37.200 --> 0:03:39.680 in the Civil War. But it was interesting. As president, 0:03:40.640 --> 0:03:45.640 he really went against Johnson, who replaced Lincoln, and he 0:03:45.720 --> 0:03:50.000 was really instrumental on ensuring rights for black people after 0:03:50.360 --> 0:03:53.200 Civil War. I love the story of Grant. You love 0:03:53.240 --> 0:03:55.760 the story of Grant. I do, At least what I 0:03:55.800 --> 0:03:57.800 know about him is that he was a little, small 0:03:57.920 --> 0:04:04.000 dude who was necessarily the most obvious choice. But for Lincoln, 0:04:04.040 --> 0:04:07.800 who kept sending generals in and these types of commanders, 0:04:08.120 --> 0:04:11.640 they wouldn't fight. It's like they were hesitating fighting against 0:04:11.680 --> 0:04:14.000 the South. And he says, God, damn it, I need 0:04:14.040 --> 0:04:19.159 somebody who will fight. And Grants came in, all small 0:04:19.320 --> 0:04:22.760 and kind of spiny, and he said, I'll fight, sir, 0:04:23.320 --> 0:04:28.080 and he fought. Yeah. I love you, Grant, But let's 0:04:28.080 --> 0:04:30.760 get to this game. So the purpose is to demonstrate 0:04:30.800 --> 0:04:33.640 the different ways privilege shows up in our lives. So 0:04:33.760 --> 0:04:35.800 I've asked our friend, the brilliant Joy read of the 0:04:35.839 --> 0:04:37.520 read out to set us up and get us going. 0:04:38.120 --> 0:04:41.080 She's going to read a statement or a question, and 0:04:41.160 --> 0:04:43.560 we're going to step forward or step back if it 0:04:43.600 --> 0:04:47.080 applies to us. All right, all right, you want to 0:04:47.120 --> 0:04:50.280 take twenty steps up just being white and a man? 0:04:50.440 --> 0:04:52.839 Go go for it. We worked this out like a game. 0:04:52.880 --> 0:04:54.760 It'll be fun at least for a little while. May 0:04:54.800 --> 0:04:56.720 be fun for you. I have a feeling I might 0:04:56.760 --> 0:05:00.880 lose this one by winning you you might lose this winning. 0:05:01.360 --> 0:05:03.600 Is that a joke? Say? My winning is going to 0:05:03.720 --> 0:05:09.040 be could potentially be a lost child? Please please delusions. Okay, 0:05:09.120 --> 0:05:11.880 let's get going, all right, Eric and Whitney, let's play 0:05:12.000 --> 0:05:20.120 the privilege game. You're ready, yes, ready as I'm ever 0:05:20.160 --> 0:05:22.400 going to be. Good luck to both of you. Actually, 0:05:22.400 --> 0:05:24.599 I take that back, Whitney, you don't need luck, You've 0:05:24.600 --> 0:05:27.960 got white privilege. Good luck to you. Erica. I know 0:05:28.080 --> 0:05:32.160 your story. It's amazing, so many wonderful accomplishments. But even 0:05:32.200 --> 0:05:35.360 with all of that, I already know how this game 0:05:35.400 --> 0:05:37.360 will end, and it ate with you in the lead, 0:05:37.440 --> 0:05:41.920 my Nubian sister. Okay, well, Conda forever, let's do this 0:05:42.160 --> 0:05:45.200 first question, If your ancestors were forced to come to 0:05:45.240 --> 0:05:49.120 the USA, not by choice, take one step back by 0:05:49.240 --> 0:05:54.120 let me just step back. If your primary ethnic identity 0:05:54.160 --> 0:05:58.400 is American, take one step forward. If you were ever 0:05:58.480 --> 0:06:02.240 called names because of your race, class, ethnicity, gender, or 0:06:02.240 --> 0:06:06.760 sexual orientation, take one step back there, Erica, she's getting 0:06:06.800 --> 0:06:09.760 a little bit back behind me. Whitney, you keep moving forward. 0:06:10.440 --> 0:06:15.560 I've been moved forward once. Sucks for me. If there 0:06:15.560 --> 0:06:19.440 were people who worked for your family as servants, gardeners, nanny's, 0:06:19.480 --> 0:06:22.640 et cetera, take one step forward. Here I go again. 0:06:23.120 --> 0:06:25.719 If you were ever ashaved or embarrassed of your clothes, 0:06:25.960 --> 0:06:29.640 house car, et cetera, take one step back. We can 0:06:29.760 --> 0:06:32.080 further part pretty quickly. Whitney, you might want to get 0:06:32.080 --> 0:06:33.840 out the middle of the center of the sidewalk. There 0:06:33.880 --> 0:06:35.599 you go. All right, Whitney, so far you're in the 0:06:35.640 --> 0:06:38.880 lead by a pretty wide margin. So Erica, now it 0:06:38.960 --> 0:06:40.640 was probably a good time for us to set up 0:06:40.680 --> 0:06:42.880 some prayers that you'll catch up to him in the 0:06:42.880 --> 0:06:46.120 next round of the game. But first, speaking of reparations, 0:06:46.320 --> 0:06:50.000 I know YouTube visited New York's famous Riverside Church, whose 0:06:50.080 --> 0:07:01.719 history is connected to reparations. Let's take a listen. Wow, 0:07:02.800 --> 0:07:06.760 what a church. Yeah, this is a beauty. You know what, 0:07:06.839 --> 0:07:12.440 I love stained glass. It looks like um candy. It's delicious. 0:07:12.600 --> 0:07:16.440 It's really really really astounding. Because they can build this, 0:07:17.440 --> 0:07:22.800 we can get reparations. It's true, this was no small undertaking. 0:07:24.440 --> 0:07:27.120 So you know this is the church where James Foreman 0:07:27.520 --> 0:07:31.280 in nine and it was eight fourth. He got up. 0:07:31.440 --> 0:07:34.440 There was a Sunday service, right, and he got up. 0:07:34.720 --> 0:07:37.920 You know, Reverend Ernest T. Campbell was presiding, big crowd, 0:07:38.280 --> 0:07:43.040 mostly white, white, yeah, mostly white, and he got up 0:07:43.040 --> 0:07:47.320 and he presented the Black Manifesto. That's right, you know, Whitney. 0:07:47.440 --> 0:07:50.040 James Foreman was a well known civil rights activist at 0:07:50.040 --> 0:07:52.960 the time. But when he stormed the pulpit and disrupted 0:07:53.000 --> 0:07:56.520 that service, he was heckled. I mean, they probably thought 0:07:56.560 --> 0:08:23.720 he was there to rob him membership of Minside Church 0:08:25.640 --> 0:08:30.200 Black Manifesto. We the black people assembled in Detroit, Michigan 0:08:30.640 --> 0:08:34.640 for the National Black Economic Development Conference, are fully aware 0:08:34.960 --> 0:08:37.679 that we have been forced to come together because racist 0:08:37.679 --> 0:08:41.440 white America has exploited our resources, our minds, our bodies, 0:08:41.520 --> 0:08:44.600 our labor for centuries. We have been forced to live 0:08:44.640 --> 0:08:48.880 as colonized people inside the United States, victimized by the 0:08:48.920 --> 0:08:52.560 most vicious racist system in the world. We have helped 0:08:52.800 --> 0:08:56.400 to build the most industrial country in the world. The 0:08:56.520 --> 0:08:59.960 Riverside Church is to use its influence and historic reputation 0:09:00.640 --> 0:09:04.319 to pressure all white, racist Christian churches and Jewish synagogues 0:09:04.760 --> 0:09:07.920 to meet the demand of the National Black Economic Development 0:09:08.000 --> 0:09:11.760 Conference for five hundred million dollars in reparations due to 0:09:11.840 --> 0:09:15.400 the role of the Christian and Jewish religions and exploiting 0:09:15.440 --> 0:09:18.760 Black people in this country. We have stated in our 0:09:18.800 --> 0:09:22.320 Black Manifesto that our demand for five hundred million dollars 0:09:22.320 --> 0:09:26.960 cannot be minimized. It can only be increase. While we 0:09:27.080 --> 0:09:29.680 did not place a time limit on when we wanted 0:09:29.720 --> 0:09:33.520 to five hundred million dollars in reparations to be paid, 0:09:33.840 --> 0:09:36.400 let no Christian or Jew think that we are going 0:09:36.440 --> 0:09:39.240 to string out this matter or that payment of this 0:09:39.360 --> 0:09:43.080 reparation can be evaded. We are therefore demanding of the 0:09:43.120 --> 0:09:46.599 white Christian churches in Jewish synagogues, which are part and 0:09:46.679 --> 0:09:49.360 parcel of the system of capitalism, that they begin to 0:09:49.960 --> 0:09:54.040 pay reparations to black people in this country. They're demanding 0:09:54.080 --> 0:09:58.800 five hundred million dollars. This total comes to fifteen dollars 0:09:58.840 --> 0:10:02.120 per nigger. Why didn't you read that part? That's not 0:10:02.320 --> 0:10:07.040 the that Wait a minute, I gotta keep reading this 0:10:07.120 --> 0:10:11.120 nigger thing. This total comes to fifteen dollars per nigger. 0:10:11.600 --> 0:10:15.080 This is a low estimate. We maintain there are probably 0:10:15.120 --> 0:10:18.960 more than thirty million black people in this country. Fifteen 0:10:19.000 --> 0:10:21.840 dollars a nigger is not a large sum of money. 0:10:21.840 --> 0:10:25.160 And we know that the churches and synagogues have a 0:10:25.200 --> 0:10:29.840 tremendous wealth in his membership White America and still exploits 0:10:29.920 --> 0:10:33.720 Black people. Time is running out. We have been slaves 0:10:33.800 --> 0:10:37.440 too long. The church has profited from our labor. The 0:10:37.559 --> 0:10:41.040 church is racist. We are men and women, proud Black 0:10:41.120 --> 0:10:45.200 men and women. Our demands shall be met, reparations or 0:10:45.240 --> 0:10:49.280 no church victory or death. Thank you. Now, there's a 0:10:49.320 --> 0:10:52.720 reason why he's using the word nigger. This was him 0:10:52.760 --> 0:10:56.559 manifesting this to me, channeling his anger. He was like, Okay, 0:10:56.760 --> 0:10:59.560 you don't want to know what that is. That's fifteen 0:10:59.559 --> 0:11:03.320 dollars nigger. Now that in a way it sounds like 0:11:03.480 --> 0:11:07.520 it's cheap. That's some heavy stuff. Oh those Oh I 0:11:07.559 --> 0:11:11.160 wish I could have seen those white people's faces. Oh 0:11:11.200 --> 0:11:16.439 they're ambrosis salad. That morning it got willed. Why I 0:11:16.600 --> 0:11:23.480 never I never using nigger House of God. Yeah, but 0:11:23.520 --> 0:11:27.040 they baptized us and put us on slave ships. To me, 0:11:27.160 --> 0:11:30.439 nigger was invented in the House of God by godless people. 0:11:31.160 --> 0:11:34.000 So maybe if we flip it and we stormed the capital, 0:11:34.760 --> 0:11:37.560 we can get fifteen dollars a nigger, and that's what 0:11:37.600 --> 0:11:40.480 he was asking for. He said, give us some money 0:11:40.520 --> 0:11:43.040 so we can do for ourselves. And he didn't get it, 0:11:44.320 --> 0:11:48.200 and we're still asking for But I don't believe that 0:11:48.280 --> 0:11:52.880 America can last, or be strong or go forward if 0:11:52.920 --> 0:11:57.240 it does not correct this huge crack in its foundation. 0:11:57.679 --> 0:11:59.760 I think of the courage to talk, to come into 0:11:59.760 --> 0:12:02.680 this place and stand up in sort of the seat 0:12:03.240 --> 0:12:07.320 of religious power. This was I don't think it took 0:12:07.360 --> 0:12:11.040 as much courage as you think. People were furious. I 0:12:11.080 --> 0:12:14.160 think that he was furious, so to me, I think 0:12:14.160 --> 0:12:17.120 he channeled his anger into something that he thought was 0:12:17.200 --> 0:12:19.319 at least productive and said, I'm gonna put a number 0:12:19.320 --> 0:12:21.760 to this. We're gonna get some money for us. They 0:12:21.760 --> 0:12:24.960 owe us, And he was trying to compel them out 0:12:24.960 --> 0:12:27.600 of a sense of morality, to beat them with the 0:12:27.679 --> 0:12:32.680 stick of justice. He was right. He started national conversation 0:12:32.760 --> 0:12:36.400 on on reparations around religion that had never been started before, 0:12:36.400 --> 0:12:39.800 and there was a huge, huge, This was front page 0:12:39.840 --> 0:12:42.240 news and it really I mean, he did something. It 0:12:42.320 --> 0:12:46.360 was like a thunderclap, letting people know that this discussion 0:12:46.480 --> 0:12:57.680 about the church and exploitation of Black Americans was joined money. 0:12:58.200 --> 0:13:00.679 That's the number one reason America it doesn't have a 0:13:00.720 --> 0:13:05.120 reparations program for the living ancestors of enslaved African Americans 0:13:05.280 --> 0:13:10.040 because it'll cost her money. Moo lah. That's where the 0:13:10.080 --> 0:13:12.920 rubber meets the road. America is in debt to Black people, 0:13:13.000 --> 0:13:16.600 monetarily and spiritually. You take it from early activists like 0:13:16.720 --> 0:13:20.000 Queen Mother Moore and your favorite Whitney Cally House, who 0:13:20.040 --> 0:13:23.280 are pioneers in the reparations movement. You know, I love Kelly, 0:13:23.360 --> 0:13:25.719 but really loved James Foreman. I mean, I think that 0:13:25.920 --> 0:13:27.800 what he did and what I think is like so 0:13:27.880 --> 0:13:31.160 fascinating about the manifesto is that it wasn't just so 0:13:31.200 --> 0:13:35.360 specific and like clear, but also the way that Revere 0:13:35.400 --> 0:13:37.600 Kimbell responded to it. I think that what he said 0:13:37.600 --> 0:13:40.080 something and I'm paraphrasing him here I can't really remember, 0:13:40.120 --> 0:13:42.360 it is something about he said you might not like 0:13:42.480 --> 0:13:44.079 what he said, you might not like the way he 0:13:44.160 --> 0:13:47.200 said it, but the questions he's posed are properly before 0:13:47.240 --> 0:13:50.199 the house. And so it really comes down to money. 0:13:50.200 --> 0:13:52.520 As you say, it's like what is owed, but also 0:13:52.920 --> 0:13:54.960 who's going to pay it? That's true but we can't 0:13:55.120 --> 0:13:59.280 oversimplify this because there are other necessary factors involved, like 0:13:59.320 --> 0:14:05.160 an apology for slavery, psychological damage, healing, reconciliation, untangling, lots 0:14:05.160 --> 0:14:09.040 of heinous legislation that's cooked into the books. Yeah, but 0:14:09.120 --> 0:14:12.480 a big money payment is still be peanuts. I mean, 0:14:12.720 --> 0:14:15.040 in theory, it should be equal to the amount of 0:14:15.040 --> 0:14:20.040 money enslaved Africans have earned in labor unpaid funding. We 0:14:20.320 --> 0:14:24.200 blacks invested in you, White America. The debt has come 0:14:24.280 --> 0:14:28.040 due with me and the bill is staggering. How much 0:14:28.040 --> 0:14:32.120 you got in your pockets player, You know, Erica may 0:14:32.200 --> 0:14:34.200 not not very much. And I think that's kind of 0:14:34.200 --> 0:14:36.720 how a lot of what Americans feel like they don't 0:14:36.720 --> 0:14:38.640 have necessarily have a lot of money, and what they 0:14:38.720 --> 0:14:42.160 do they worked really hard for, and they don't see 0:14:42.360 --> 0:14:45.360 the advantages that, you know, they might not have money 0:14:45.400 --> 0:14:48.200 in their pocket, but they have something else. They have 0:14:48.280 --> 0:14:52.480 opportunities and advantages that really can't be calculated. And I 0:14:52.520 --> 0:14:55.440 think that's kind of the question we're exploring here. You know, 0:14:55.760 --> 0:14:57.640 what is the number that can make up not only 0:14:57.680 --> 0:15:00.280 for what was taken with black Americans, but all so 0:15:00.720 --> 0:15:06.880 for what was not given right. So James Foreman, this disruptor. 0:15:07.240 --> 0:15:11.840 He visited Reverend Campbell the night before his Sunday stunt 0:15:11.880 --> 0:15:14.080 to ask him for permission to address the service. I mean, 0:15:14.120 --> 0:15:17.080 he's trying to do it the right way. But Campbell declined. 0:15:17.520 --> 0:15:19.800 So Foreman did his thing, and you and you heard 0:15:19.800 --> 0:15:24.320 the congregation booing. Why I was there to see it, 0:15:24.360 --> 0:15:28.680 but you know he was undaunted. Campbell came back strong though. 0:15:29.400 --> 0:15:34.280 After a regroup that same Sunday, he spoke about Foreman's manifesto. 0:15:34.680 --> 0:15:38.040 He spoke about the evils of the white man and 0:15:38.120 --> 0:15:42.680 the black man's mistreatment from the white men. But he 0:15:42.760 --> 0:15:46.160 also says that whites have inherited this system. Now, this 0:15:46.200 --> 0:15:48.640 is where it starts to get a little dodgy, and 0:15:48.680 --> 0:15:52.320 he posits that there's a statue of limitations. You gotta 0:15:52.360 --> 0:15:56.440 get that lone limitation on the pain and suffering of 0:15:56.440 --> 0:15:59.600 black people, But there is a limit on the time 0:15:59.640 --> 0:16:03.440 that white people have to rectify, recognize, and repair the 0:16:03.480 --> 0:16:07.920 destruction of black citizens, their most valuable asset creators. You know, 0:16:08.280 --> 0:16:11.560 he acknowledges the validity of the question. I'm not sure 0:16:11.600 --> 0:16:13.560 he's ready for the answer that a full accounting is 0:16:13.600 --> 0:16:16.520 going to provide. I mean, That's really the question, right, Erica, 0:16:17.080 --> 0:16:24.360 what is the number? How do you quantify what is owed? Well, 0:16:24.400 --> 0:16:27.360 if we're talking about the debt that we got to 0:16:27.400 --> 0:16:31.280 talk to uber economist Dr William Derty and he's got numbers. 0:16:31.320 --> 0:16:34.880 I mean Whitney, you know, he wasn't always for reparations. 0:16:35.640 --> 0:16:39.320 He was a skeptic. I see reparations as something that 0:16:39.480 --> 0:16:44.160 is supposed to be rejuvenative of a community that has 0:16:44.200 --> 0:16:49.400 been long, long decimated by American racism. But I don't 0:16:49.400 --> 0:16:54.920 necessarily see that as being a process that would inflict 0:16:55.000 --> 0:16:59.200 any type of unique harm on the non black population 0:16:59.240 --> 0:17:01.760 of the United Say, that's a huge relief for me 0:17:01.800 --> 0:17:07.000 to hear. I guess. I don't see reparations as a 0:17:07.040 --> 0:17:11.560 matter of individual or personal guilt. I see it as 0:17:11.560 --> 0:17:16.200 a matter of national responsibility and obligation. And I can't 0:17:16.240 --> 0:17:19.080 say what the consequences would be for the country as 0:17:19.080 --> 0:17:21.680 a whole if it never happens. It hasn't happened in 0:17:21.720 --> 0:17:24.919 a hundred fifty six years. But I certainly can have 0:17:25.080 --> 0:17:30.320 the expectation that black lives will continue to be stunted 0:17:30.560 --> 0:17:34.240 and denied full opportunity if a step like this is 0:17:34.280 --> 0:17:37.680 not taken. Take US through a little bit like what 0:17:37.960 --> 0:17:41.119 you believe the debt is and how you're calculating it. 0:17:41.680 --> 0:17:47.639 The Black American population that is descended from persons enslaved 0:17:47.640 --> 0:17:51.280 in the US is about thirteen percent of the nation's population, 0:17:51.920 --> 0:17:54.639 but possesses about two and a half percent of the 0:17:54.760 --> 0:17:59.399 nation's wealth. This corresponds to a situation in which the 0:17:59.480 --> 0:18:03.639 average black household has a net worth that is now 0:18:04.280 --> 0:18:07.600 almost eight hundred and fifty thousand dollars less than the 0:18:07.800 --> 0:18:12.600 average white household. We view that racial wealth differential as 0:18:12.720 --> 0:18:18.679 capturing the cumulative intergenerational effects of racism in American society. 0:18:19.200 --> 0:18:22.520 We set as the target for a reparations plan elimination 0:18:22.560 --> 0:18:26.280 of that gap and bringing the black share of wealth 0:18:26.640 --> 0:18:29.800 into consistency with the black share of the nation's population. 0:18:30.359 --> 0:18:33.879 And that would require at least ten to twelve trillion 0:18:33.920 --> 0:18:38.639 dollars and resources to be transferred to Black Americans. And 0:18:38.680 --> 0:18:43.879 how are you calculating that number? So we estimate, based 0:18:43.960 --> 0:18:49.840 upon the Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances, that the 0:18:49.920 --> 0:18:54.040 total required per household would be about eight hundred and 0:18:54.119 --> 0:18:59.639 fifty thousand dollars. There are approximately fifteen million households that 0:18:59.720 --> 0:19:03.720 can syst of persons who are descendants of the folks 0:19:03.760 --> 0:19:06.680 who were enslaved in the United States, and so simply 0:19:06.720 --> 0:19:11.840 by multiplying the fifteen million by approximately eight fifty thousand, 0:19:12.440 --> 0:19:23.200 you come up with that number. Hi, it's Joy read again, 0:19:23.280 --> 0:19:26.200 and we're back with the next round of the privileged game. 0:19:26.480 --> 0:19:28.520 They're so pretty far apart, but let's get into the 0:19:28.640 --> 0:19:31.120 next round of questions to see if Erica can catch 0:19:31.200 --> 0:19:33.720 up to Whitney. Eric and Whitney, can both of you 0:19:33.840 --> 0:19:37.040 still hear me? I can hear you better than I 0:19:37.080 --> 0:19:40.000 can hear Erica. I knew you guys would be far apartful. Wow, 0:19:40.280 --> 0:19:42.800 you can't even talk to each other now. Yeah, whatever, 0:19:43.280 --> 0:19:46.399 here's the next question. If one or both of your 0:19:46.480 --> 0:19:51.000 parents were white collar professionals, doctors, lawyers, etcetera. Take one 0:19:51.119 --> 0:19:55.159 step forward. Here I go, Whitney reving. If you were 0:19:55.200 --> 0:19:59.000 raised in an area where there was prostitution, drug activity, etcetera, 0:19:59.440 --> 0:20:03.040 take one step back. I'm good. We're both standing in place. 0:20:03.280 --> 0:20:05.879 If you ever tried to change your appearance, mannerisms, or 0:20:05.960 --> 0:20:10.160 behavior to avoid being judged or ridiculed, take one step back. 0:20:10.359 --> 0:20:13.440 But we probably all did, right. No, No, you're still 0:20:13.520 --> 0:20:16.560 standing damn if you study the culture of your ancestors 0:20:16.600 --> 0:20:20.440 in elementary school, take one step forward. That's definitely me. 0:20:21.040 --> 0:20:23.359 It looks like a dot here. If you went to 0:20:23.440 --> 0:20:26.880 school speaking a language other than English, take one step back. 0:20:27.359 --> 0:20:30.800 Look at them. Every step he just keeps moving and moving. 0:20:31.760 --> 0:20:34.800 Oh man, wow, we think you're a mile away. This 0:20:35.000 --> 0:20:38.120 is an absolute blood letting Erica, girl, I can see 0:20:38.160 --> 0:20:40.119 how this is gonna end. But I'm looking at the 0:20:40.200 --> 0:20:42.360 time and I gotta go. I need to get ready 0:20:42.400 --> 0:20:45.120 for my TV show, The read Out. Catch you two later. 0:20:45.240 --> 0:20:48.960 We'll see you. Joy, thanks, Joy to the world. White 0:20:49.000 --> 0:20:52.280 privilege not just white privilege. This is about privilege. It's 0:20:52.320 --> 0:20:55.359 not just d n A. It's also the luck. You know. 0:20:55.440 --> 0:20:57.600 I feel lucky, even though I'm way back here. Shoot, 0:20:57.800 --> 0:21:01.560 don't tell me I'm not lucky. Okay, So, Erica, I 0:21:01.640 --> 0:21:05.480 can see you. Can you hear me? Erica? Are we 0:21:05.600 --> 0:21:08.959 far away from each other? Yeah? You're We started off 0:21:09.000 --> 0:21:10.840 in the middle of the block. You're almost at the end. 0:21:11.160 --> 0:21:14.399 I'm still in the middle, but further from the middle. 0:21:15.359 --> 0:21:19.760 I hope you appreciate this privilege. He appreciates it, you 0:21:19.880 --> 0:21:23.600 know what, though, I'm sorry to realize, man, I did 0:21:23.640 --> 0:21:28.040 pretty good not knowing that I didn't have all these advantages. 0:21:28.359 --> 0:21:34.439 If you've ever been cast on a major network sitcom 0:21:34.640 --> 0:21:38.200 and been the star of stage and screen, take five 0:21:38.320 --> 0:21:46.240 hundred steps forward. Wait, Eric is coming, she's coming fast. 0:21:47.040 --> 0:21:50.240 She's blowing by me and she uh, she's out of 0:21:50.280 --> 0:21:58.120 sight something what five sixty Wow, that's what network TV 0:21:58.359 --> 0:22:04.200 does for you. I blew right past you, Whitney, So long, Whitey. 0:22:04.840 --> 0:22:08.080 What did we learn here that being white and mail 0:22:09.000 --> 0:22:11.560 is a good thing and being a star of stage 0:22:12.000 --> 0:22:18.520 screen is a great thing. Yeah, but it didn't make 0:22:18.640 --> 0:22:22.120 up for all that other stuff. Okay, I'm coming up now. 0:22:23.200 --> 0:22:26.159 We're talking about you being an actor and famous, but 0:22:26.320 --> 0:22:30.160 that's everything else on this question is just everyday things, 0:22:30.240 --> 0:22:32.440 and that's what separates it. Not everybody gets to be 0:22:33.520 --> 0:22:35.879 cast and TV shows and movies. So it was like 0:22:35.960 --> 0:22:39.200 winning the lottery that changed my life. And that's absurd 0:22:39.440 --> 0:22:41.200 that you have to win the lottery in order to 0:22:41.280 --> 0:22:44.680 get some sort of balancing factor. And it's what you 0:22:44.720 --> 0:22:48.040 know I said to you earlier at one point, is 0:22:48.119 --> 0:22:50.119 that I don't want to give up what I have. 0:22:50.800 --> 0:22:53.720 I want everybody to have what I have. But what 0:22:53.840 --> 0:22:56.639 I don't believe that you can have everything you have 0:22:57.200 --> 0:23:01.680 without black people having to give up everything. So you 0:23:01.880 --> 0:23:04.800 must give up something. So that's what we're sort of exploring. 0:23:04.920 --> 0:23:06.520 I think a lot of times people say, oh, it's 0:23:06.640 --> 0:23:08.480 it's not a zero sum game. I do agree that 0:23:08.520 --> 0:23:10.720 it is a zero sum game, that that there is 0:23:10.760 --> 0:23:13.080 gonna you have to give up to get something. So 0:23:13.280 --> 0:23:15.080 but that was that was interesting, That was fun. That 0:23:15.200 --> 0:23:17.560 was fun for you because you kept moving forward. What 0:23:17.600 --> 0:23:22.359 are you talking about, Oh, that was fun. Oh you 0:23:22.440 --> 0:23:24.040 know what it's like when you go to amusement park 0:23:24.160 --> 0:23:26.119 and you're wondering because you've been standing in line all 0:23:26.200 --> 0:23:28.960 day and there's a family and they just move forward 0:23:29.000 --> 0:23:31.480 and you go, man, they must got the hookup. That's 0:23:31.520 --> 0:23:33.480 what it's like for black people looking at white people, 0:23:34.040 --> 0:23:36.640 that you're always thinking they've got the hook up. It's 0:23:36.720 --> 0:23:38.960 it's not even a joke with us. We know we 0:23:39.040 --> 0:23:41.720 look at white people and they automatically they got the 0:23:41.760 --> 0:23:44.800 hook up privileges, the hook up privileges, the hook up 0:23:45.560 --> 0:23:59.040 see you later unless these grant thanks a lot. Yeah. So, Whitney, 0:23:59.160 --> 0:24:01.600 the privileged game did like we knew it would. But 0:24:01.720 --> 0:24:03.720 a powerful way to change the results of the game 0:24:03.920 --> 0:24:06.439 is through reparations. Now. I know it's no magic bullet, 0:24:06.560 --> 0:24:09.439 I got it, but it beats the slow death if 0:24:09.440 --> 0:24:13.560 a thousand cuts African Americans are experiencing. Now, we need 0:24:13.640 --> 0:24:16.000 to talk to some folks who can help us do 0:24:16.160 --> 0:24:19.160 the math and calculate what's old so we can get 0:24:19.240 --> 0:24:22.920 going on this. I mean, please, I don't want to 0:24:23.000 --> 0:24:26.960 keep playing that game again and just keep losing. My 0:24:27.119 --> 0:24:30.560 name is Bob Johnson. I'm the founder of Black Entertainment 0:24:30.640 --> 0:24:36.399 Television and the r l J Companies. Bobby j Okay 0:24:36.560 --> 0:24:38.800 right now. He has been on record for demanding the U. 0:24:38.920 --> 0:24:42.360 S Government paid fourteen trillion dollars to the descendants of slaves, 0:24:42.400 --> 0:24:44.639 and he makes a hell of a case it. He 0:24:44.760 --> 0:24:47.600 also believes that Black Americans are giving away their wealth 0:24:48.000 --> 0:24:50.879 because they're left out of the many incentives of home ownership, 0:24:51.240 --> 0:24:55.000 the biggest transfer. Well, if you think about this home ownership. 0:24:55.760 --> 0:24:59.840 When you own a home, two things happen. One, the 0:25:00.160 --> 0:25:04.480 government gives you a tax deduction for the interests you 0:25:04.600 --> 0:25:08.720 pay on the homeowner mortgage, So one, the government is 0:25:08.760 --> 0:25:13.200 subsidizing your home. The second thing is home ownership has 0:25:13.240 --> 0:25:16.760