1 00:00:05,960 --> 00:00:10,880 Speaker 1: I'm Erica Alexander, and welcome to Reparations, the Big Payback 2 00:00:11,200 --> 00:00:14,319 Speaker 1: production of Color Farm Media, I Heart Radio and the 3 00:00:14,400 --> 00:00:27,040 Speaker 1: Black Effect Podcast Network. The world is changed. I feel 4 00:00:27,080 --> 00:00:29,560 Speaker 1: it in the water, I feel it in the earth. 5 00:00:30,120 --> 00:00:34,200 Speaker 1: I taste it in the pot liquor. Much that once 6 00:00:34,200 --> 00:00:40,040 Speaker 1: seemed impossible suddenly is, and much that once seemed immutable unchangeable, 7 00:00:40,360 --> 00:00:44,720 Speaker 1: suddenly is not. If you listen, you can hear a 8 00:00:44,840 --> 00:00:49,559 Speaker 1: river rolling. If you listen, you can hear a river roaring. 9 00:00:51,960 --> 00:00:54,800 Speaker 1: Justice is a river. You may try to damn it, 10 00:00:55,160 --> 00:00:58,080 Speaker 1: try to stop its onward course, but it will go 11 00:00:58,200 --> 00:01:00,760 Speaker 1: where it will, and woe to those who stand in 12 00:01:00,800 --> 00:01:06,720 Speaker 1: its way, shouting go back. This is a story of 13 00:01:06,760 --> 00:01:11,320 Speaker 1: that river. It began with a simple promise, a radical one, 14 00:01:11,440 --> 00:01:14,039 Speaker 1: first proposed at the close of the Civil War by 15 00:01:14,040 --> 00:01:17,160 Speaker 1: a committee of Black ministers to Sherman, Great Conqueror of 16 00:01:17,200 --> 00:01:21,360 Speaker 1: the South, to give formerly enslaved black people forty acres 17 00:01:21,400 --> 00:01:26,399 Speaker 1: of land in South Carolina, Georgia and Florida forty acres 18 00:01:26,440 --> 00:01:29,800 Speaker 1: of land a peace as recompense for generations of forced, 19 00:01:29,920 --> 00:01:33,840 Speaker 1: unpaid labor and cruelty, for the separations of families, for 20 00:01:33,880 --> 00:01:37,200 Speaker 1: the barbarism of two hundred and fifty years and more 21 00:01:38,640 --> 00:01:45,440 Speaker 1: there would be land later. There was even talk of mules. 22 00:01:45,440 --> 00:01:49,280 Speaker 1: Sherman kept his promise, and under his Special Filled Order 23 00:01:49,320 --> 00:01:52,440 Speaker 1: fifteen and the first concrete act of reparations for slavery 24 00:01:52,480 --> 00:01:56,320 Speaker 1: in this country, as many as forty thousand freedmen were 25 00:01:56,360 --> 00:02:00,720 Speaker 1: resettled on former slave owner land. The American government under 26 00:02:00,760 --> 00:02:04,720 Speaker 1: Lincoln was recognizing the unique suffering of enslaved black people 27 00:02:05,160 --> 00:02:08,320 Speaker 1: and watering the soil of a suffering nation within a 28 00:02:08,440 --> 00:02:14,320 Speaker 1: nation with justice, with practical physical amends. But it was 29 00:02:14,400 --> 00:02:21,400 Speaker 1: not to be. Under Lincoln's Southern sympathizer successor Johnson, the 30 00:02:21,520 --> 00:02:25,480 Speaker 1: dark forces pushed back. The land was taken from the 31 00:02:25,560 --> 00:02:29,040 Speaker 1: freedmen and given back to the very slavers who had 32 00:02:29,120 --> 00:02:33,240 Speaker 1: kept them in bondage. The river was damned, The great 33 00:02:33,280 --> 00:02:37,919 Speaker 1: battle for reparations for slavery was thwarted, set aside, postponed 34 00:02:38,360 --> 00:02:42,760 Speaker 1: for a generation and more. In the next century, the 35 00:02:42,840 --> 00:02:45,600 Speaker 1: call to battle to repay the children and grandchildren of 36 00:02:45,600 --> 00:02:49,480 Speaker 1: slavery was taken up by bold women warriors like Calli House, 37 00:02:49,840 --> 00:02:52,680 Speaker 1: who sued the U. S Government itself, and by a 38 00:02:52,800 --> 00:02:58,320 Speaker 1: lonely warrior queen Queen Mother Moore, They watered the soil 39 00:02:58,360 --> 00:03:06,040 Speaker 1: of justice with sweat and tears. Still and its bottomless cruelty, 40 00:03:06,520 --> 00:03:09,799 Speaker 1: the power of white supremacy would hear nothing of it, 41 00:03:09,840 --> 00:03:13,080 Speaker 1: insisted there had been no real harm, and even if 42 00:03:13,080 --> 00:03:16,200 Speaker 1: there had been, it was all buried in the unreachable 43 00:03:16,240 --> 00:03:20,280 Speaker 1: mists of time. And what could be done, Nothing could 44 00:03:20,320 --> 00:03:24,960 Speaker 1: be done. The river white supremacy said was fine, just 45 00:03:25,240 --> 00:03:30,440 Speaker 1: as it was. But like the rain, the call for reparative, 46 00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:34,400 Speaker 1: restorative justice, the pain drenched hearts cry from the soul 47 00:03:34,440 --> 00:03:40,320 Speaker 1: of America for reparations, was never truly silenced. New fighters 48 00:03:40,360 --> 00:03:43,640 Speaker 1: picked up the banner in the rushing rivulets of the streets, 49 00:03:43,880 --> 00:03:47,320 Speaker 1: and those mighty fountains of black power, the pulpits, and 50 00:03:47,400 --> 00:03:50,400 Speaker 1: the swift moving streams of the local governments, and in 51 00:03:50,480 --> 00:03:54,600 Speaker 1: the thunderous cataract of Congress itself, until the sons and 52 00:03:54,720 --> 00:03:57,960 Speaker 1: daughters of the Bondsmen could find to hear the unmistakable 53 00:03:58,000 --> 00:04:03,440 Speaker 1: sound of justice coming, just just coming home, Justice roaring, roaring, 54 00:04:03,520 --> 00:04:09,280 Speaker 1: like a river to the sea. It's not home yet now, 55 00:04:09,320 --> 00:04:13,560 Speaker 1: even now, there are those who stand in it's awesome path, 56 00:04:14,280 --> 00:04:27,040 Speaker 1: who shout, go back, Will they stop this mighty river? Wow? Erica. Well, 57 00:04:27,320 --> 00:04:29,680 Speaker 1: we're finally here. We're almost home. Can you believe it? 58 00:04:30,400 --> 00:04:34,640 Speaker 1: This certainly has been quite a journey. Yeah, it has. 59 00:04:34,760 --> 00:04:38,159 Speaker 1: It's amazing looking back to think of the places we've gone, 60 00:04:38,760 --> 00:04:41,680 Speaker 1: the people we've met, the different voices we've heard. I 61 00:04:41,680 --> 00:04:44,760 Speaker 1: think it's changes both, don't you. Absolutely? And in the 62 00:04:44,839 --> 00:04:49,920 Speaker 1: time we've been talking America's racial reckoning, reckoning or deflection 63 00:04:49,960 --> 00:04:53,400 Speaker 1: of racial reckoning, or failure to have a racial reckoning 64 00:04:53,720 --> 00:04:57,080 Speaker 1: right in this past what is it five months that 65 00:04:57,160 --> 00:05:00,279 Speaker 1: felt like a year from the insurrection at the cap Battle, 66 00:05:00,360 --> 00:05:03,880 Speaker 1: which was about white supremacy, to the trial and verdict 67 00:05:03,920 --> 00:05:07,120 Speaker 1: on Derek Chauvin, which was also about white supremacy, or 68 00:05:07,160 --> 00:05:09,479 Speaker 1: more to the point, perhaps about the death of the 69 00:05:09,520 --> 00:05:17,560 Speaker 1: white majority and the reassertion of supremacy tactics and terrorism. Brother, Yeah, well, 70 00:05:17,800 --> 00:05:19,919 Speaker 1: I'm glad we went on this journey in the midst 71 00:05:20,279 --> 00:05:23,320 Speaker 1: of these momentous times. You go go ahead, try that Whitney, 72 00:05:23,320 --> 00:05:25,640 Speaker 1: say it five times, say it fast, five times. I 73 00:05:25,640 --> 00:05:27,880 Speaker 1: can barely see it one time. But listen, I hope 74 00:05:27,920 --> 00:05:30,440 Speaker 1: the folks who came along with us got something out 75 00:05:30,520 --> 00:05:32,840 Speaker 1: of it as we did. Well, one more thing, Eric, 76 00:05:32,960 --> 00:05:36,280 Speaker 1: before it begin listening to your introductory piece. Here, I'm 77 00:05:36,279 --> 00:05:39,480 Speaker 1: gonnaed a little more info about pot liquor. What am 78 00:05:39,480 --> 00:05:43,520 Speaker 1: I like black google or something besides Whitney have gotten 79 00:05:43,560 --> 00:05:48,599 Speaker 1: your family holiday gifts? You know plenty about pot liquor. 80 00:05:49,040 --> 00:05:53,560 Speaker 1: I do hello to the Dow family. But in this case, 81 00:05:53,920 --> 00:05:57,120 Speaker 1: to get a little taste of my brew, all you 82 00:05:57,200 --> 00:06:13,360 Speaker 1: need is a little imagination. Here we go. Ah, there's 83 00:06:13,400 --> 00:06:17,520 Speaker 1: that word imagination now, Erica. I know I teased you 84 00:06:17,600 --> 00:06:21,720 Speaker 1: initially when you suggest we recreate really Wonka's magical feeling 85 00:06:21,839 --> 00:06:25,039 Speaker 1: in a world of reparations. But you know, I got 86 00:06:25,040 --> 00:06:26,720 Speaker 1: to admit you stuck to your guns, and in the 87 00:06:26,880 --> 00:06:30,120 Speaker 1: end that seat of inspiration gave us this big, colorful 88 00:06:30,200 --> 00:06:34,200 Speaker 1: field to play in. So were you trying to say 89 00:06:34,200 --> 00:06:36,960 Speaker 1: thank you? Erica? Wow, that was a great idea. You know, 90 00:06:37,040 --> 00:06:39,960 Speaker 1: I'm really sorry about laughing at you and not believing 91 00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:42,640 Speaker 1: in your mind blowing genius. Next time, I'll just get 92 00:06:42,640 --> 00:06:45,040 Speaker 1: out of your way, laid down the red carpet, and well, 93 00:06:45,080 --> 00:06:47,719 Speaker 1: you know, I don't like anyone putting words in my mouth, Erica, 94 00:06:47,839 --> 00:06:51,400 Speaker 1: but in this case, you're welcome with me. It's just 95 00:06:51,440 --> 00:06:53,720 Speaker 1: another day in the life for creative genius like me 96 00:06:54,040 --> 00:06:56,280 Speaker 1: who also writes dialogue by the power and can trick 97 00:06:56,360 --> 00:07:00,600 Speaker 1: you into saying anything I want anyway. Yeah, we fortunate 98 00:07:00,640 --> 00:07:04,039 Speaker 1: to meet some terrific people, warriors who are shining lights 99 00:07:04,040 --> 00:07:10,400 Speaker 1: in the battle for reparations. And every journey needs its fellowship. 100 00:07:10,880 --> 00:07:15,600 Speaker 1: It's frontline, middle and rearguard. That's right for me. Older 101 00:07:15,600 --> 00:07:18,200 Speaker 1: woman Robin Ruth Simmons really stands out, you know, the 102 00:07:18,240 --> 00:07:21,880 Speaker 1: idea that a local level and her case in Evans, Illinois, 103 00:07:21,920 --> 00:07:24,520 Speaker 1: that she could push hard enough to actually make her 104 00:07:24,520 --> 00:07:28,040 Speaker 1: community face the issue of reparations without waiting for it 105 00:07:28,120 --> 00:07:30,600 Speaker 1: to be a national policy or something like that. I 106 00:07:30,640 --> 00:07:34,560 Speaker 1: think that it's really kind of revolutionary, definitely, but addressing 107 00:07:34,600 --> 00:07:37,239 Speaker 1: the need for national policy and carrying on the legacy 108 00:07:37,240 --> 00:07:40,560 Speaker 1: of the great Congressman John Conyers. We had the great 109 00:07:40,560 --> 00:07:43,120 Speaker 1: Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas to join us to 110 00:07:43,160 --> 00:07:46,800 Speaker 1: talk about HR forty, the historic and long overdue resolution 111 00:07:46,840 --> 00:07:51,120 Speaker 1: before Congress to form a commission to study reparations. Slavery 112 00:07:51,400 --> 00:07:55,680 Speaker 1: is the original sin. Slavery has never received an apology. 113 00:07:56,080 --> 00:07:58,360 Speaker 1: The number of Africans who died in the New Passage 114 00:07:58,840 --> 00:08:04,080 Speaker 1: over to million. Number of the slaves who died during slavery, first, second, 115 00:08:04,120 --> 00:08:08,280 Speaker 1: and third generation, over two point five millions, who has 116 00:08:08,320 --> 00:08:14,320 Speaker 1: a history like that. Reparations should be welcomed by all Americans, 117 00:08:14,920 --> 00:08:19,280 Speaker 1: for we are not asking one American to give one payment. 118 00:08:19,600 --> 00:08:22,600 Speaker 1: What we're saying is, it's the only way that slavery 119 00:08:22,720 --> 00:08:26,720 Speaker 1: ended was a governmental action of the Thirteenth Amendment. Governmental 120 00:08:26,760 --> 00:08:31,400 Speaker 1: action and reconstruction failed after twelve years because it was 121 00:08:31,480 --> 00:08:36,280 Speaker 1: imploded by governmental people, and after reconstruction, a reign of 122 00:08:36,400 --> 00:08:39,840 Speaker 1: terror that had never been seen. The hanging fruit, the lynching, 123 00:08:40,559 --> 00:08:44,360 Speaker 1: the oppression of voting, the tearing away of land, and 124 00:08:44,440 --> 00:08:47,880 Speaker 1: the amazing concept of the continuing de jure and de 125 00:08:48,000 --> 00:08:52,920 Speaker 1: facto impact of slavery today. Mega businessman Bob Johnson and 126 00:08:53,000 --> 00:08:56,679 Speaker 1: economist Julianne Melvo and William Darrity broke down for us 127 00:08:56,760 --> 00:09:00,280 Speaker 1: just how much reparations will cost hit It will be 128 00:09:00,480 --> 00:09:05,040 Speaker 1: a whole lot. The debt that's associated with a reparations 129 00:09:05,080 --> 00:09:09,240 Speaker 1: claim for Black American descendants of US slavery is in 130 00:09:09,320 --> 00:09:13,040 Speaker 1: the vicinity of ten to twelve trillion dollars. And that's 131 00:09:13,080 --> 00:09:17,760 Speaker 1: an estimate by examining the magnitude of the difference in 132 00:09:17,840 --> 00:09:22,040 Speaker 1: wealth that is held by Black Americans who find their 133 00:09:22,040 --> 00:09:27,280 Speaker 1: origins in the community of individuals who were subjected to enslavement. 134 00:09:27,920 --> 00:09:31,280 Speaker 1: We set as the target for a reparations plan elimination 135 00:09:31,360 --> 00:09:35,079 Speaker 1: of that gap and bringing the black share of wealth 136 00:09:35,440 --> 00:09:40,520 Speaker 1: into consistency with the black share of the nation's population. Wow, 137 00:09:40,559 --> 00:09:42,240 Speaker 1: how are we going to pay for all our bombers 138 00:09:42,240 --> 00:09:46,640 Speaker 1: and cyber warfare? Uh? With a bake sale? I guess 139 00:09:46,679 --> 00:09:49,880 Speaker 1: I better get started on those cupcakes. I didn't know 140 00:09:49,920 --> 00:09:53,679 Speaker 1: you can bake Whitney. Okay, you do that. In the meantime, 141 00:09:54,000 --> 00:09:56,520 Speaker 1: I'll get a vegan recipe from a friend we know. Well, 142 00:09:56,800 --> 00:10:00,640 Speaker 1: I talked to who can really cook, slcense and servant 143 00:10:00,640 --> 00:10:04,960 Speaker 1: Hot Rev and Al Sharpton. He explained why white supremacy 144 00:10:05,240 --> 00:10:08,600 Speaker 1: is in the battle to control the narrative around reparations. Yeah. 145 00:10:08,640 --> 00:10:10,600 Speaker 1: I wasn't really aware we were gonna be hearing from 146 00:10:10,600 --> 00:10:13,080 Speaker 1: the Rev. Until after you kind of slipped him in 147 00:10:13,200 --> 00:10:15,880 Speaker 1: their Eraica. You know that was kind of pretty sneaky. Well, 148 00:10:15,920 --> 00:10:18,160 Speaker 1: I learned it from the best whitey, I mean, Whitney. 149 00:10:20,240 --> 00:10:24,360 Speaker 1: They take ownership and some of the the sureminal, but 150 00:10:24,440 --> 00:10:28,000 Speaker 1: it's there that they are more qualified to tell us 151 00:10:28,440 --> 00:10:31,520 Speaker 1: our story and others our story than we are ourselves. 152 00:10:32,000 --> 00:10:35,560 Speaker 1: I was reading this book on Frederick Douglas and how 153 00:10:35,600 --> 00:10:39,719 Speaker 1: when Frederick Douglas was the runaway slave workers way from 154 00:10:39,720 --> 00:10:42,760 Speaker 1: New York to New England, and there was buzz around 155 00:10:42,840 --> 00:10:49,319 Speaker 1: the abolitionists world about this well built slave that could 156 00:10:49,320 --> 00:10:53,120 Speaker 1: read and that we could use him to go out 157 00:10:53,160 --> 00:10:55,960 Speaker 1: there and push our cars. And the white New Englanders 158 00:10:56,000 --> 00:10:59,800 Speaker 1: who were lead the abolitionist movement brought him in and 159 00:11:00,360 --> 00:11:03,840 Speaker 1: they started bringing them around to the various gatherings, and 160 00:11:03,880 --> 00:11:06,280 Speaker 1: then he started speaking, and they were like, no, no, no, no, 161 00:11:06,320 --> 00:11:08,120 Speaker 1: we don't need you to talk. We just need you 162 00:11:08,160 --> 00:11:10,480 Speaker 1: to be there, be the slave. We'll do the talking. 163 00:11:11,080 --> 00:11:15,840 Speaker 1: It's like we are really not saying you're equal. We 164 00:11:16,080 --> 00:11:19,199 Speaker 1: sympathize with y'all, but let us do the talking. Let 165 00:11:19,280 --> 00:11:21,760 Speaker 1: us write out the screenplay, let us tell them the 166 00:11:21,840 --> 00:11:27,280 Speaker 1: black experience, rather than allowing us as equals to say, 167 00:11:27,280 --> 00:11:29,520 Speaker 1: wait a minute, this is our journey, and we know 168 00:11:29,559 --> 00:11:33,360 Speaker 1: our journey better than anybody. And that is a form 169 00:11:33,600 --> 00:11:36,280 Speaker 1: of white supremacy. I run into it even in my 170 00:11:36,360 --> 00:11:40,560 Speaker 1: civil rights political work, where progressives feel that they can 171 00:11:40,600 --> 00:11:45,199 Speaker 1: tell blacks how we deal without suffering body, we get ourselves. 172 00:11:45,200 --> 00:11:47,080 Speaker 1: And I'm not saying we shouldn't have allies. I'm not 173 00:11:47,080 --> 00:11:49,720 Speaker 1: saying we can't work with people, but you can't take 174 00:11:49,800 --> 00:11:55,160 Speaker 1: ownership of me and you. We can no longer allow 175 00:11:55,880 --> 00:12:02,040 Speaker 1: ourselves to be interpreted by those that do not understand us. 176 00:12:02,080 --> 00:12:04,880 Speaker 1: And that's why I think that we've got to start 177 00:12:04,920 --> 00:12:09,200 Speaker 1: with our authenticity. If I've got to be somebody else 178 00:12:09,280 --> 00:12:13,080 Speaker 1: for you to accept me, then I'm bowing the white supremacy. 179 00:12:13,120 --> 00:12:15,880 Speaker 1: God made me. You don't have to remake me. I 180 00:12:15,920 --> 00:12:18,760 Speaker 1: would find where he made me. Just get out of 181 00:12:18,800 --> 00:12:21,680 Speaker 1: my way, get your need on my name. We also 182 00:12:21,720 --> 00:12:24,760 Speaker 1: got a solid definition of reparations from your pal the Rizza, 183 00:12:24,920 --> 00:12:28,080 Speaker 1: or should I say your son Bobby Diggs. You know 184 00:12:28,280 --> 00:12:31,880 Speaker 1: you guys are a whole American saga unto yourselves. Oh lord, 185 00:12:31,960 --> 00:12:35,520 Speaker 1: Wu tang Okay, that was a shameless plug fear series. 186 00:12:35,559 --> 00:12:38,160 Speaker 1: Wu tang in American saga. Is there gonna be a 187 00:12:38,200 --> 00:12:40,880 Speaker 1: second season? By the way America? Yes, Whitney, thank you 188 00:12:40,920 --> 00:12:44,480 Speaker 1: for the subtle product placement. Yo. I was thrilled the 189 00:12:44,520 --> 00:12:48,440 Speaker 1: Rizzard could join us. Reparations what is it? It is 190 00:12:48,480 --> 00:12:51,200 Speaker 1: the making of amends for a wrong that one has 191 00:12:51,240 --> 00:12:55,319 Speaker 1: done by paying money to or otherwise helping those who 192 00:12:55,320 --> 00:12:59,920 Speaker 1: have been wronged. It comes from two words repair an action, 193 00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:04,080 Speaker 1: and so thus it is the action of repairing the 194 00:13:04,240 --> 00:13:08,360 Speaker 1: damage that one has caused. It is a noun, and 195 00:13:08,440 --> 00:13:12,080 Speaker 1: we need it now. He laid it down. Yeah, and 196 00:13:12,120 --> 00:13:14,400 Speaker 1: we got a quick education and white privilege from joy 197 00:13:14,480 --> 00:13:17,760 Speaker 1: read That was a fun game. And Evett Carnell, a 198 00:13:17,800 --> 00:13:21,400 Speaker 1: truly gifted advocate for a very specific definition of reparations. 199 00:13:21,520 --> 00:13:23,800 Speaker 1: She broke it down and showed us how we'd have 200 00:13:23,880 --> 00:13:26,880 Speaker 1: to discuss who gets it. Name me one other group 201 00:13:26,920 --> 00:13:31,120 Speaker 1: that has been oppressed from slavery and then has had 202 00:13:31,160 --> 00:13:36,080 Speaker 1: the entire government, local and federal mechanized against them. No 203 00:13:36,240 --> 00:13:38,720 Speaker 1: other group can claim that. Now. Some other groups can 204 00:13:38,720 --> 00:13:42,040 Speaker 1: claim during this period, we got discriminated against. During this period, 205 00:13:42,120 --> 00:13:44,640 Speaker 1: some of our people got hung or lynched. But you 206 00:13:44,760 --> 00:13:47,880 Speaker 1: do not have a history that stretches from sixteen nineteen. 207 00:13:49,240 --> 00:13:51,880 Speaker 1: You don't have that. Melanine doesn't make us the same 208 00:13:51,920 --> 00:13:54,400 Speaker 1: in terms of our contributions to America, and it doesn't 209 00:13:54,400 --> 00:13:56,440 Speaker 1: mean that you should get reparations the same as me. 210 00:13:56,960 --> 00:14:00,240 Speaker 1: American descentis of slavery came here in slave ships. Every 211 00:14:00,280 --> 00:14:02,920 Speaker 1: other group came here either on foot on a plane, 212 00:14:03,000 --> 00:14:07,520 Speaker 1: you came here. Voluntary. Voluntary versus involuntary has consequences in 213 00:14:07,600 --> 00:14:11,000 Speaker 1: terms of reparations. Now, do you have one parent who 214 00:14:11,080 --> 00:14:13,640 Speaker 1: comes from American child slavery and I'm gonna tell you 215 00:14:13,640 --> 00:14:15,520 Speaker 1: how to best figure that out. If you have a 216 00:14:15,520 --> 00:14:17,800 Speaker 1: great grandparent who was a share proper or whatever, you 217 00:14:17,920 --> 00:14:20,080 Speaker 1: come from slaves, that's just what it is. It's not 218 00:14:20,240 --> 00:14:23,360 Speaker 1: hard to figure out. We have records. But if you're 219 00:14:23,360 --> 00:14:25,480 Speaker 1: a black immigrant or if you come from black immigrants, no, 220 00:14:25,560 --> 00:14:29,000 Speaker 1: you don't get reparations. This is a specific justice claim 221 00:14:29,480 --> 00:14:32,760 Speaker 1: is sacred now in terms of the people that come 222 00:14:32,800 --> 00:14:36,040 Speaker 1: from the Caribbean and black immigrants and their children. Because 223 00:14:36,040 --> 00:14:38,520 Speaker 1: we have children of black immigrants who are not Black immigrants, 224 00:14:38,680 --> 00:14:42,000 Speaker 1: they're Black Americans. What we have for them are protections 225 00:14:42,200 --> 00:14:45,400 Speaker 1: and a Black agenda because they have a lived experience 226 00:14:45,440 --> 00:14:48,880 Speaker 1: of discrimination. They don't have the inheritance the plunder, they 227 00:14:48,880 --> 00:14:51,800 Speaker 1: don't have ancests who came in slaveships, but they have 228 00:14:51,880 --> 00:14:54,800 Speaker 1: an experience in this country which is racialized. So the 229 00:14:54,880 --> 00:14:58,200 Speaker 1: Black agenda helps protect them as well as us against 230 00:14:58,200 --> 00:15:03,400 Speaker 1: this racialized kind of discrimination. So that is there for them. 231 00:15:03,440 --> 00:15:06,920 Speaker 1: The reparations piece though, is just for us that really 232 00:15:06,960 --> 00:15:09,320 Speaker 1: set off the hotline we set up for people to 233 00:15:09,400 --> 00:15:11,560 Speaker 1: call if they wanted to find out if they qualified. 234 00:15:11,760 --> 00:15:16,440 Speaker 1: You know, it's still going Lebron, James, Elizabeth Warren, j 235 00:15:16,760 --> 00:15:24,440 Speaker 1: Edgar Hoover, Carol Channing, The Jackson Five, Steven Tyler, Vin Diesel, 236 00:15:25,160 --> 00:15:29,960 Speaker 1: Mitch Land, Drew, Rachel doll Is All, Michael Jackson, Off 237 00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:36,920 Speaker 1: the Wall, Michael Jackson, The Thriller, Michael Jackson Invincible, Darth Vader, 238 00:15:37,640 --> 00:15:44,160 Speaker 1: Live Tyler, Stacy Dash Come On girl again, Carol Channing. 239 00:15:44,640 --> 00:15:49,280 Speaker 1: Steven Tyler from Aerosmith is part black, I guess partially 240 00:15:50,120 --> 00:15:52,920 Speaker 1: so dude doesn't just look like a lady. He looked 241 00:15:52,960 --> 00:15:59,120 Speaker 1: like a black lady. No, Steven Tyler. We also got 242 00:15:59,160 --> 00:16:01,440 Speaker 1: a fascinating less and in the slavery based origins of 243 00:16:01,480 --> 00:16:04,760 Speaker 1: tipping from Sorrow Garaman. As we say in New Orn, 244 00:16:05,360 --> 00:16:08,920 Speaker 1: there is now mountains of evidence that tipping is not 245 00:16:09,120 --> 00:16:12,480 Speaker 1: correlated with the quality of the service. Tipping is a 246 00:16:12,520 --> 00:16:17,400 Speaker 1: reflection of all of America's biases from the inception of America, 247 00:16:17,760 --> 00:16:21,200 Speaker 1: and what is correlated with is the race and gender 248 00:16:21,280 --> 00:16:24,680 Speaker 1: of the server, her eye color, her skin color, her 249 00:16:24,720 --> 00:16:29,000 Speaker 1: hair color, her hair texture, her breast size, whether she's 250 00:16:29,000 --> 00:16:32,160 Speaker 1: willing to touch the customer or be touched, And so 251 00:16:32,320 --> 00:16:36,600 Speaker 1: that segregation of workers of color into back of house 252 00:16:36,720 --> 00:16:40,760 Speaker 1: versus front of house, which is eerily reminiscent of the 253 00:16:40,840 --> 00:16:46,080 Speaker 1: way in which slaves on plantations or even in reconstruction 254 00:16:46,560 --> 00:16:50,200 Speaker 1: people of color were treated and differentiated. And then on 255 00:16:50,320 --> 00:16:53,800 Speaker 1: top of that, the differential in the way people are tipped. 256 00:16:53,880 --> 00:16:57,200 Speaker 1: All of that results in a five dollar per hour 257 00:16:57,200 --> 00:17:02,080 Speaker 1: wage gap between black women and white men in our industry. 258 00:17:02,120 --> 00:17:08,760 Speaker 1: That differential creates generational poverty. The sub minimum wage exacerbates 259 00:17:08,880 --> 00:17:12,359 Speaker 1: the inequality, and it forces all of these folks to 260 00:17:12,440 --> 00:17:15,520 Speaker 1: live off of tips. The fact that people of color 261 00:17:15,600 --> 00:17:18,639 Speaker 1: earn less in tips even when they have the same positions, 262 00:17:19,080 --> 00:17:22,879 Speaker 1: it is a reflection of still deep seated racism in 263 00:17:22,920 --> 00:17:26,640 Speaker 1: the United States. Even when workers of color make it 264 00:17:26,720 --> 00:17:29,800 Speaker 1: to higher paid positions, they cannot earn the same in 265 00:17:29,880 --> 00:17:35,359 Speaker 1: tips because of this racism. Erica, we really had an 266 00:17:35,359 --> 00:17:38,480 Speaker 1: amazing opportunity to speak and learn from some really, really 267 00:17:38,480 --> 00:17:41,200 Speaker 1: heavy hitters. You know, I'm thinking now of your friend 268 00:17:41,320 --> 00:17:45,840 Speaker 1: Reverend William Barber. He is my dear friend. We lucky me. 269 00:17:46,560 --> 00:17:49,280 Speaker 1: I love me some Bishop Barber and Yeah, he really 270 00:17:49,359 --> 00:17:52,600 Speaker 1: is the pre eminent clergy voice of this century. Bishop 271 00:17:52,680 --> 00:17:55,840 Speaker 1: is carrying the mantle of Dr King's Poor People's campaign. 272 00:17:56,160 --> 00:17:59,720 Speaker 1: He calls the period we're living through now the third Reconstruction. 273 00:18:00,119 --> 00:18:02,719 Speaker 1: He came with that moral authority of his, you know that, 274 00:18:03,920 --> 00:18:07,000 Speaker 1: And he gave us fair warning about the price America 275 00:18:07,040 --> 00:18:10,400 Speaker 1: will pay if it ignores the bill. That's due justice, 276 00:18:11,119 --> 00:18:17,959 Speaker 1: just justice, just justice, established justice. That's all it is. 277 00:18:19,160 --> 00:18:21,760 Speaker 1: And we are to let it roll down like waters, 278 00:18:22,080 --> 00:18:24,639 Speaker 1: and we are to let it come down like a 279 00:18:24,760 --> 00:18:28,399 Speaker 1: mighty stream. And until such time we better remember what 280 00:18:28,520 --> 00:18:32,880 Speaker 1: Dr King said the same thing Amo said six centuries earlier, 281 00:18:33,320 --> 00:18:35,800 Speaker 1: woe to those who are at ease in Zion, woe 282 00:18:35,840 --> 00:18:39,199 Speaker 1: to those who are at ease in America. And then 283 00:18:39,320 --> 00:18:42,719 Speaker 1: Dr King said like this twenty four hours before he 284 00:18:42,800 --> 00:18:45,840 Speaker 1: was killed. He said, we gotta give ourselves to this movement. 285 00:18:46,359 --> 00:18:49,399 Speaker 1: It might cost us, but we gotta give ourselves to 286 00:18:49,440 --> 00:18:52,560 Speaker 1: this movement because we either go up together or we 287 00:18:52,640 --> 00:18:57,560 Speaker 1: go down together. And nothing would be more tragic than 288 00:18:57,640 --> 00:19:01,280 Speaker 1: for us to stop at this point. Another heavy hitter 289 00:19:01,320 --> 00:19:05,800 Speaker 1: who bought his a game, astonishing genius, passion and serious 290 00:19:05,800 --> 00:19:08,960 Speaker 1: commitment for the fight was Killer Mike. Even if his 291 00:19:09,000 --> 00:19:12,280 Speaker 1: message was not a pretty one. Yea, his message was disturbing. 292 00:19:12,720 --> 00:19:15,440 Speaker 1: It was disturbing because it was true. I think we 293 00:19:15,520 --> 00:19:17,879 Speaker 1: called it the ugly truth, you know, a concept that 294 00:19:18,000 --> 00:19:20,600 Speaker 1: racism is a big business, and that business may be 295 00:19:20,720 --> 00:19:25,680 Speaker 1: too big to fail. The ugly truth is racism has 296 00:19:25,720 --> 00:19:30,480 Speaker 1: been extremely profitable for America. We have a problem in 297 00:19:30,520 --> 00:19:33,080 Speaker 1: this country and that we like to use cheap labor 298 00:19:33,520 --> 00:19:36,560 Speaker 1: to create wealth. On the other side, and the community 299 00:19:36,600 --> 00:19:38,880 Speaker 1: that has been used for cheap labor the most are 300 00:19:38,920 --> 00:19:43,600 Speaker 1: black people. I believe that as a country, we can 301 00:19:43,640 --> 00:19:46,359 Speaker 1: be the country we aspire to be, where there's liberty 302 00:19:46,359 --> 00:19:49,160 Speaker 1: and justice for all. But we can no longer do 303 00:19:49,240 --> 00:19:53,520 Speaker 1: this if we are married to the classic capitalistic system 304 00:19:53,560 --> 00:19:56,360 Speaker 1: in which we use and abuse the people that were 305 00:19:56,400 --> 00:20:00,480 Speaker 1: brought here for free or cheap labor, just like we 306 00:20:00,520 --> 00:20:04,280 Speaker 1: do migrant workers now, just like we've done Africans in 307 00:20:04,320 --> 00:20:07,199 Speaker 1: the past, just like they did the Chinese during the 308 00:20:07,280 --> 00:20:10,320 Speaker 1: making of railroads, just like they've done even the Irish 309 00:20:10,320 --> 00:20:13,480 Speaker 1: and the Latino population that came into New York through 310 00:20:13,480 --> 00:20:16,760 Speaker 1: Ellis Islands in the twenties, thirties and nine. This country 311 00:20:16,800 --> 00:20:19,840 Speaker 1: knows that a different way is possible. The question is 312 00:20:19,880 --> 00:20:22,720 Speaker 1: are we too lazy and apathetic to try a different way. 313 00:20:23,080 --> 00:20:25,240 Speaker 1: It is easy to target black, and not only black 314 00:20:25,240 --> 00:20:29,080 Speaker 1: with the poor. Racism is an advent of classism. Classism 315 00:20:29,119 --> 00:20:32,160 Speaker 1: is an advent of the bourgeoisie and the elite, meant 316 00:20:32,200 --> 00:20:35,280 Speaker 1: to oppress the peasant class. If we don't start to 317 00:20:35,320 --> 00:20:38,440 Speaker 1: fight racism right now in this country, then we will 318 00:20:38,480 --> 00:20:41,359 Speaker 1: forever remain an empire that uses the free labor of 319 00:20:41,359 --> 00:20:45,399 Speaker 1: black people to exploit and capitalize off of. We have 320 00:20:45,440 --> 00:20:48,080 Speaker 1: an opportunity in this moment to give people what we 321 00:20:48,160 --> 00:20:51,160 Speaker 1: truly promise as freedom and justice for all. That means 322 00:20:51,200 --> 00:20:53,800 Speaker 1: we must fight, fight, fight, every step of the way 323 00:20:53,800 --> 00:20:56,920 Speaker 1: against racism. And it's not enough to be non racist, 324 00:20:57,000 --> 00:21:00,840 Speaker 1: you must be vehemently anti racist. Killer Mike is the 325 00:21:00,880 --> 00:21:04,560 Speaker 1: man that brother. I would vote for him. I would 326 00:21:04,680 --> 00:21:08,359 Speaker 1: roll with him if he allowed me to roll with him. 327 00:21:08,400 --> 00:21:10,480 Speaker 1: But you know, I'm really excited because we got to 328 00:21:10,480 --> 00:21:13,640 Speaker 1: speak to so many different types of people and it's 329 00:21:13,680 --> 00:21:15,080 Speaker 1: not every day that you get to speak to a 330 00:21:15,080 --> 00:21:18,399 Speaker 1: billionaire former presidential candidate. Uh, but that's exactly who we 331 00:21:18,440 --> 00:21:21,600 Speaker 1: got with Tom Steyer. Yeah, he rolled the moneyball to 332 00:21:21,680 --> 00:21:25,000 Speaker 1: expose the financial barriers that continue to limit the economic 333 00:21:25,040 --> 00:21:28,600 Speaker 1: growth of Black Americans. Cat Taylor and I started a 334 00:21:28,720 --> 00:21:34,119 Speaker 1: bank fifteen years ago partially to redress the systemic racism 335 00:21:34,160 --> 00:21:36,480 Speaker 1: in the financial system and the banking system in the 336 00:21:36,520 --> 00:21:42,159 Speaker 1: United States that specifically addressed economic justice, environmental sustainability, and 337 00:21:42,200 --> 00:21:45,159 Speaker 1: supported businesses owned by women and people of color, because 338 00:21:45,320 --> 00:21:49,000 Speaker 1: there was systemic attempt to shut those people out of 339 00:21:49,040 --> 00:21:52,879 Speaker 1: ownership of wealth in this country. And that's what redlining was. 340 00:21:53,080 --> 00:21:55,320 Speaker 1: Don't lend to black people. It's against the rules of 341 00:21:55,320 --> 00:21:57,200 Speaker 1: our bank to lend to blank people. So we're gonna 342 00:21:57,280 --> 00:22:00,840 Speaker 1: draw a red line around African americanighborhoods and you can't 343 00:22:00,880 --> 00:22:04,080 Speaker 1: lend in there, which shut black people out of home ownership, 344 00:22:04,280 --> 00:22:08,080 Speaker 1: which is the basic wealth creation historically for American citizens. 345 00:22:08,359 --> 00:22:12,000 Speaker 1: And so we started a bank from scratch. Basically, we 346 00:22:12,160 --> 00:22:15,680 Speaker 1: measure every loan not just on whether it's profitable, because 347 00:22:15,680 --> 00:22:18,560 Speaker 1: we need to be profitable so we can continue in business, 348 00:22:19,000 --> 00:22:21,800 Speaker 1: but also what is the impact on the community in 349 00:22:21,920 --> 00:22:24,879 Speaker 1: terms of job creations, in terms of who owns the bank, 350 00:22:25,280 --> 00:22:28,120 Speaker 1: in terms of sequestrian carbon And if you can't do that, 351 00:22:28,240 --> 00:22:30,480 Speaker 1: then that's not alone for us. Actions have to be 352 00:22:30,560 --> 00:22:33,520 Speaker 1: taken not just to be fair within the bank, but 353 00:22:33,680 --> 00:22:39,720 Speaker 1: to redress the long time deep racism of the banking system. 354 00:22:39,800 --> 00:22:41,639 Speaker 1: And you know, not trying to be fair, but to 355 00:22:41,720 --> 00:22:45,840 Speaker 1: be specifically pointing out the people who have been discriminated 356 00:22:45,880 --> 00:22:48,520 Speaker 1: against and trying to give them the opportunities that have 357 00:22:48,640 --> 00:22:51,680 Speaker 1: been systemically taken away from them. The Miyror Flint, Michigan. 358 00:22:51,880 --> 00:22:54,160 Speaker 1: Karen Weaver joined us to tell us about the dark 359 00:22:54,200 --> 00:22:56,359 Speaker 1: water story of our city. When you look at what 360 00:22:56,480 --> 00:22:59,320 Speaker 1: really happened, it was about a group of people making 361 00:22:59,320 --> 00:23:02,520 Speaker 1: money and get rich because off of the water supply 362 00:23:03,119 --> 00:23:06,160 Speaker 1: and having taken our pipe from us, because we sold 363 00:23:06,200 --> 00:23:09,800 Speaker 1: water to all of the surrounding cities in our county, 364 00:23:10,080 --> 00:23:12,159 Speaker 1: and they changed our water source and they put us 365 00:23:12,160 --> 00:23:16,040 Speaker 1: on the Flint River. Of all things, I mean growing up, 366 00:23:16,080 --> 00:23:18,320 Speaker 1: you know, we all knew you don't want water from 367 00:23:18,359 --> 00:23:21,359 Speaker 1: the Flint River. You find cars, you find bodies, you 368 00:23:21,359 --> 00:23:24,520 Speaker 1: find all kinds of things in there. And uh, as 369 00:23:24,560 --> 00:23:27,840 Speaker 1: they made that switch, they didn't test our water. How 370 00:23:27,840 --> 00:23:31,919 Speaker 1: do you switch a water source for a city and 371 00:23:32,040 --> 00:23:36,119 Speaker 1: not tested. And when people complained about it and said 372 00:23:36,200 --> 00:23:38,600 Speaker 1: something was wrong, we were told the water was fine. 373 00:23:39,000 --> 00:23:41,960 Speaker 1: But think about this, It corroded the parts for the 374 00:23:42,040 --> 00:23:45,600 Speaker 1: GM cars, and GM got off of our water, but 375 00:23:45,720 --> 00:23:48,840 Speaker 1: corrosion control was never added to the water. So we're 376 00:23:48,920 --> 00:23:53,720 Speaker 1: drinking this water that we're told is okay. For eighteen months, 377 00:23:54,000 --> 00:23:58,040 Speaker 1: we complained, We held up bags of hair, skin rashes, 378 00:23:58,119 --> 00:24:01,520 Speaker 1: those kinds of things, and um our water source had 379 00:24:01,520 --> 00:24:03,600 Speaker 1: been switched. And you know, it had to be a 380 00:24:03,640 --> 00:24:05,800 Speaker 1: cover up, because how do you keep that quiet for 381 00:24:05,880 --> 00:24:09,040 Speaker 1: eighteen months from the rest of the world when we're 382 00:24:09,080 --> 00:24:11,960 Speaker 1: here in Flint, you know, yelling and streaming and crying. 383 00:24:12,040 --> 00:24:14,800 Speaker 1: And I got my water tested while I was campaigning, 384 00:24:15,080 --> 00:24:18,000 Speaker 1: and I got the call from Virginia, texaing on a 385 00:24:18,040 --> 00:24:21,359 Speaker 1: Sunday night, and they said, your water is tested high 386 00:24:21,359 --> 00:24:23,160 Speaker 1: for lead, and they told us not to even use 387 00:24:23,160 --> 00:24:26,080 Speaker 1: it to brush our teeth. But they had never planned 388 00:24:26,119 --> 00:24:29,840 Speaker 1: on telling us and sharing this information because one of 389 00:24:29,880 --> 00:24:32,719 Speaker 1: the things we found out was the state new and 390 00:24:32,760 --> 00:24:36,240 Speaker 1: they were having bottled water sent to their state buildings 391 00:24:36,240 --> 00:24:39,760 Speaker 1: here while the people continued to drink this poisoned water. 392 00:24:40,280 --> 00:24:42,440 Speaker 1: And at that point it was more than lead because 393 00:24:42,440 --> 00:24:44,960 Speaker 1: we had bacteria in there. There was equal light and 394 00:24:44,960 --> 00:24:47,600 Speaker 1: there there was all kind of mess in our water. 395 00:24:48,200 --> 00:24:51,760 Speaker 1: Yet nobody thought to say, let's test it, let's put 396 00:24:51,760 --> 00:24:54,600 Speaker 1: corrosion control in and get the people of the city 397 00:24:54,600 --> 00:24:57,240 Speaker 1: of Flint off of this water. And that's what led 398 00:24:57,280 --> 00:25:01,280 Speaker 1: to the Flint water crisis, was know cutting off our 399 00:25:01,440 --> 00:25:07,240 Speaker 1: access to clean water. And when you talk about reparations 400 00:25:07,240 --> 00:25:10,119 Speaker 1: and what people are old as a result of a 401 00:25:10,240 --> 00:25:13,560 Speaker 1: wrong that has been done to them, Flint has definitely 402 00:25:13,600 --> 00:25:16,840 Speaker 1: not gotten what we deserve. Mayor Karen Weaver is still 403 00:25:16,880 --> 00:25:19,800 Speaker 1: on the job, but as at this moment, Flint still 404 00:25:19,840 --> 00:25:22,600 Speaker 1: does not have the water justice and racial justice she's 405 00:25:22,640 --> 00:25:26,280 Speaker 1: been fighting for. Now, I want to switch gears here 406 00:25:26,320 --> 00:25:29,800 Speaker 1: and talk about something that I really enjoyed that Jurassic 407 00:25:29,840 --> 00:25:39,920 Speaker 1: Park sketch I did with Cree Summer. Hello Whitney, or 408 00:25:40,160 --> 00:25:45,920 Speaker 1: should I say professor, Hello reparations mosquito and please call 409 00:25:45,960 --> 00:25:48,760 Speaker 1: me Whitney. So today we're going to be learning about 410 00:25:48,760 --> 00:25:56,760 Speaker 1: the history of reparations. Indeed, difficult yet worthy conversation told 411 00:25:56,800 --> 00:26:00,960 Speaker 1: within the rich, painful tapestry of a mayor becas failure 412 00:26:01,359 --> 00:26:05,600 Speaker 1: to acknowledge the sin of slavery and the debt owed 413 00:26:05,680 --> 00:26:10,679 Speaker 1: to its formerly enslaved people and their descendants. Here wait, 414 00:26:11,080 --> 00:26:16,560 Speaker 1: that was exhausting. I quit, Oh no, you don't reparations, Mosquito, 415 00:26:17,280 --> 00:26:20,439 Speaker 1: no backing out now. Talking about race in America can 416 00:26:20,480 --> 00:26:24,040 Speaker 1: be exhausting, but trying to get reparations, that's like shake 417 00:26:24,119 --> 00:26:26,360 Speaker 1: up a snow globe in Boston expecting it to rain 418 00:26:26,520 --> 00:26:30,200 Speaker 1: in Cleveland. Sadly, I'm sure they had made perfect sense 419 00:26:30,280 --> 00:26:37,359 Speaker 1: to you, Whitney. Whitney, you sounded like Four's Gump. You 420 00:26:37,440 --> 00:26:40,919 Speaker 1: didn't good job though, man Erica. You know, I recall 421 00:26:41,000 --> 00:26:44,119 Speaker 1: that minstrel song you sang. You didn't exactly sound like 422 00:26:44,160 --> 00:26:48,439 Speaker 1: a wreatha. You know, let's hear little of that race's 423 00:26:48,680 --> 00:27:01,199 Speaker 1: institutions down all vote if you don't pay all No, no, no, 424 00:27:01,320 --> 00:27:03,320 Speaker 1: come on now. I don't think we need to hear 425 00:27:03,359 --> 00:27:06,280 Speaker 1: that again. Brought and I brought the house down, but 426 00:27:06,320 --> 00:27:09,000 Speaker 1: I don't think we need to hear that again. I 427 00:27:09,040 --> 00:27:11,639 Speaker 1: was impressed we were able to explore the powerful story 428 00:27:11,680 --> 00:27:14,679 Speaker 1: of the late Queen Mother Moore through your Back to 429 00:27:14,720 --> 00:27:18,000 Speaker 1: the Future interview with her me too. And one thing 430 00:27:18,040 --> 00:27:20,920 Speaker 1: I've learned and been impressed with on this whole journey 431 00:27:21,240 --> 00:27:23,520 Speaker 1: was how many times it was women black women from 432 00:27:23,520 --> 00:27:26,359 Speaker 1: Sheila Jackson, Lee and Robert Ruth Simmons. Going back to 433 00:27:26,400 --> 00:27:29,160 Speaker 1: CALLI House and to Queen Mother Moore, who have been 434 00:27:29,240 --> 00:27:38,560 Speaker 1: at the forefront of this struggle. Absolutely, Mr Pop, welcome, 435 00:27:38,640 --> 00:27:41,880 Speaker 1: Queen Mother. I'm glad that you're here. Thank you so much, 436 00:27:41,960 --> 00:27:45,840 Speaker 1: and thank you for blessing us with your story. Yes, no, 437 00:27:46,400 --> 00:27:49,040 Speaker 1: thank you, ma'am. So you've been organizing around the black 438 00:27:49,080 --> 00:27:51,639 Speaker 1: community for a while, but how did you get to 439 00:27:51,720 --> 00:27:56,320 Speaker 1: the liberation movement like your work with the great Marcus Garvey. Well, 440 00:27:56,400 --> 00:28:00,200 Speaker 1: I was sa gro in turned Marcus Corvey. Move went 441 00:28:00,320 --> 00:28:03,359 Speaker 1: by the fact that he I understood that he was 442 00:28:03,400 --> 00:28:07,520 Speaker 1: to come and speak to us in Louisiana. And we 443 00:28:07,560 --> 00:28:10,879 Speaker 1: went to the meeting and Lord behold, he didn't come, 444 00:28:11,800 --> 00:28:15,000 Speaker 1: and we who had the mayor refused to allow him 445 00:28:15,000 --> 00:28:18,720 Speaker 1: to come. So we were very incensed about it and 446 00:28:19,000 --> 00:28:23,800 Speaker 1: got a delegation to go see why. Then it was 447 00:28:23,960 --> 00:28:27,040 Speaker 1: guaranteed that Marcus God It would come. The next night 448 00:28:27,800 --> 00:28:32,800 Speaker 1: the hall was packed with people and everybody went with ammunition, 449 00:28:33,320 --> 00:28:39,040 Speaker 1: had guns. Everybody had guns, Black people with guns. Blue 450 00:28:39,120 --> 00:28:45,239 Speaker 1: Steve Smith and Western's German lugers. Really and uh, I 451 00:28:45,320 --> 00:28:49,720 Speaker 1: had two guns with me. Y'all showed up and showed out, 452 00:28:50,160 --> 00:28:55,040 Speaker 1: that's what's up. Amazing and ammunition everybody had what you 453 00:28:55,160 --> 00:28:59,160 Speaker 1: call a suitcase today because we was afraid the police 454 00:28:59,200 --> 00:29:03,040 Speaker 1: would stop him from coming again and we wanted to 455 00:29:03,080 --> 00:29:06,360 Speaker 1: protect him. Wow, in the night that he did come, 456 00:29:06,640 --> 00:29:11,320 Speaker 1: what happened. Thirty five people was in that hall. So 457 00:29:11,600 --> 00:29:15,600 Speaker 1: when Goviy came, re applauded very much and he said, 458 00:29:15,680 --> 00:29:19,040 Speaker 1: my friends, I wanted to apologize for not speaking to 459 00:29:19,160 --> 00:29:22,479 Speaker 1: you last night. But the reason I didn't speak to 460 00:29:22,480 --> 00:29:25,880 Speaker 1: you is because the mayor permitted himself to be used 461 00:29:25,920 --> 00:29:29,120 Speaker 1: as a stooge by the police department to prevent me 462 00:29:29,160 --> 00:29:31,880 Speaker 1: from speaking to you. And when he said that, the 463 00:29:31,880 --> 00:29:34,600 Speaker 1: police jumped up and said, I'll run you in. And 464 00:29:34,640 --> 00:29:38,320 Speaker 1: when the police did that, everybody jumped up on the 465 00:29:38,440 --> 00:29:42,280 Speaker 1: benches we had benches then and took out their guns 466 00:29:42,360 --> 00:29:45,479 Speaker 1: straight up. The guns were straight up in the air. Speak, 467 00:29:45,600 --> 00:29:50,479 Speaker 1: GOVI sleet and go said and as I was saying, 468 00:29:51,080 --> 00:29:54,680 Speaker 1: and he went and repeated itself, and the police filed 469 00:29:54,720 --> 00:29:58,720 Speaker 1: out of there like little puppy does. Every policemen filed 470 00:29:58,760 --> 00:30:03,360 Speaker 1: out of the hall. Can't forget that speak Garvey speak. Oh, 471 00:30:03,400 --> 00:30:09,240 Speaker 1: I wish I was there. That was amazing, you know, Erica. 472 00:30:09,320 --> 00:30:11,560 Speaker 1: And I'm proud that there were white people who showed 473 00:30:11,640 --> 00:30:15,480 Speaker 1: up people like historians Adam Rothman and Ed Baptist, and 474 00:30:15,520 --> 00:30:18,400 Speaker 1: then of course Katrina Brown, a descendant of the largest 475 00:30:18,400 --> 00:30:22,120 Speaker 1: slaveholding family in America, who bore witness and gave us 476 00:30:22,120 --> 00:30:25,400 Speaker 1: a much trure story about slavery and its aftermath than 477 00:30:25,400 --> 00:30:29,240 Speaker 1: we ever learned in school. The Dwolves, statistically they brought 478 00:30:29,280 --> 00:30:33,280 Speaker 1: more Africans on their ships than any other family north 479 00:30:33,400 --> 00:30:38,080 Speaker 1: or south. They purchased human beings who had been kidnapped 480 00:30:38,160 --> 00:30:41,520 Speaker 1: by force and were in a complete and utter state 481 00:30:41,560 --> 00:30:45,600 Speaker 1: of terror, and it was the most horrific type of 482 00:30:45,640 --> 00:30:48,920 Speaker 1: circumstance one could possibly imagine. And my ancestors did it 483 00:30:49,000 --> 00:30:52,160 Speaker 1: over and over and over again. And as my cousin 484 00:30:52,200 --> 00:30:54,400 Speaker 1: Tom said, they must have known it was evil. How 485 00:30:54,440 --> 00:30:56,520 Speaker 1: could you not when you were hearing people screaming in 486 00:30:56,560 --> 00:31:01,000 Speaker 1: the holds below, And yet they somehow told themselves stories 487 00:31:01,040 --> 00:31:05,440 Speaker 1: to justify that this was okay, and their blood runs 488 00:31:05,480 --> 00:31:09,479 Speaker 1: in me. A huge fortune was amassed from all of 489 00:31:09,480 --> 00:31:12,920 Speaker 1: this that was pretty much squandered by a couple of 490 00:31:13,000 --> 00:31:16,680 Speaker 1: generations later. We wouldn't be able to say we inherited 491 00:31:16,720 --> 00:31:20,080 Speaker 1: money directly from the slave trade, but it's really obvious 492 00:31:20,080 --> 00:31:23,160 Speaker 1: to me that we have been in the elite ever since, 493 00:31:23,400 --> 00:31:26,880 Speaker 1: and it fits the pattern where once you're in the elite, 494 00:31:26,960 --> 00:31:31,040 Speaker 1: you marry other elite families. So I'm like super aware 495 00:31:31,080 --> 00:31:34,280 Speaker 1: of the class privilege that has remained even if we're 496 00:31:34,320 --> 00:31:39,280 Speaker 1: not at like the uber rich level. And I'm super 497 00:31:39,320 --> 00:31:43,120 Speaker 1: aware of how much social capital I have. So they've 498 00:31:43,160 --> 00:31:46,760 Speaker 1: gone to a lot of Ivy League schools, private schools, 499 00:31:47,080 --> 00:31:50,600 Speaker 1: you know, so I've had just the best education, and 500 00:31:50,880 --> 00:31:54,320 Speaker 1: that's a pattern in the family. So just extremely aware 501 00:31:54,360 --> 00:31:58,760 Speaker 1: of how much we were set up to succeed. We 502 00:31:58,760 --> 00:32:01,000 Speaker 1: wouldn't be able to say we heard in money directly 503 00:32:01,040 --> 00:32:04,000 Speaker 1: from the slave trade, but it's really obvious to me 504 00:32:04,120 --> 00:32:11,080 Speaker 1: that we have been in the elite ever since. One 505 00:32:11,120 --> 00:32:13,120 Speaker 1: heavy hitter we spoke to more than once on this 506 00:32:13,240 --> 00:32:16,240 Speaker 1: journey was not only a powerful woman, but with someone 507 00:32:16,320 --> 00:32:19,440 Speaker 1: we keep getting more and more requests for your mother, 508 00:32:19,560 --> 00:32:24,080 Speaker 1: Miss Sammy Alexander, my mom. She's not only lived a 509 00:32:24,080 --> 00:32:26,960 Speaker 1: lot and seeing a lot, she's not shy about telling 510 00:32:26,960 --> 00:32:29,240 Speaker 1: you about it. What you get us started and singing 511 00:32:29,280 --> 00:32:33,280 Speaker 1: about it and singing about it. Heaven help us such 512 00:32:33,640 --> 00:32:51,479 Speaker 1: dark but we oh. We also heard from people speaking 513 00:32:51,480 --> 00:33:04,000 Speaker 1: in opposition to the idea of preparations, Oh, the dark side. 514 00:33:04,360 --> 00:33:07,920 Speaker 1: And when I say dark, you mean black. Now I 515 00:33:07,960 --> 00:33:10,120 Speaker 1: sort of get it. With some white people, they worry 516 00:33:10,120 --> 00:33:13,800 Speaker 1: about a perceived loss of some kind of status or privilege. Right. 517 00:33:14,200 --> 00:33:17,640 Speaker 1: And as to Black preparations opponents, I don't really feel 518 00:33:17,720 --> 00:33:20,920 Speaker 1: comfortable criticizing them. I don't really know if it's that's 519 00:33:20,960 --> 00:33:23,600 Speaker 1: like my place. I don't know fair is fair and 520 00:33:23,680 --> 00:33:25,960 Speaker 1: right or wrong? You're still I think you're thinking of 521 00:33:26,040 --> 00:33:29,280 Speaker 1: Larry Elder. I know he specializes in being kind of 522 00:33:29,280 --> 00:33:32,280 Speaker 1: a black contrarian. Yeah, like the photo negative of what 523 00:33:32,360 --> 00:33:37,560 Speaker 1: most black people think. That's Larry. It's been mentioned a 524 00:33:37,560 --> 00:33:41,000 Speaker 1: couple of times that America has yet to atone for slavery. Well, 525 00:33:41,120 --> 00:33:43,520 Speaker 1: remember that Lyndon Johnson launched the so called war on 526 00:33:43,560 --> 00:33:47,160 Speaker 1: poverty in nine He specifically talked about the need to 527 00:33:47,200 --> 00:33:50,400 Speaker 1: redress path to grievances for blacks. Since then, we've spent 528 00:33:50,440 --> 00:33:53,880 Speaker 1: over twenty two trillion dollars in payments to fight the 529 00:33:53,920 --> 00:33:57,520 Speaker 1: so called war on poverty. That's about personal responsibility. They 530 00:33:57,560 --> 00:33:59,720 Speaker 1: are think tanks on the left, like the Brookings Institution, 531 00:33:59,760 --> 00:34:02,200 Speaker 1: the think tanked on the right, like the American Enterprise Institude. 532 00:34:02,320 --> 00:34:04,840 Speaker 1: And they agree that the way to escape parvetings to 533 00:34:04,880 --> 00:34:07,880 Speaker 1: do a handful of things. Number one, finish high school. 534 00:34:08,080 --> 00:34:09,920 Speaker 1: Number two, don't have a kid until you get married. 535 00:34:10,000 --> 00:34:11,919 Speaker 1: Number three. Get a job, keep a job, and don't 536 00:34:11,960 --> 00:34:13,839 Speaker 1: put that job to get another job in Number four, 537 00:34:14,000 --> 00:34:16,319 Speaker 1: avoid the criminal justice system. And they don't say that 538 00:34:16,400 --> 00:34:18,800 Speaker 1: this formula only applies to you if you're white, just 539 00:34:18,880 --> 00:34:22,040 Speaker 1: say there's a formal applies to anybody. Equal rights and 540 00:34:22,080 --> 00:34:24,400 Speaker 1: equal results are two very different things, and that's what 541 00:34:24,480 --> 00:34:27,560 Speaker 1: I think we're getting confused about here. Everybody's entitled to 542 00:34:27,600 --> 00:34:31,080 Speaker 1: equal rights, but nobody's entitled to equal results. So as 543 00:34:31,120 --> 00:34:33,400 Speaker 1: we talk about who pays who, this is gonna be 544 00:34:33,480 --> 00:34:35,719 Speaker 1: one of the greatest generational transfers of wealth back and 545 00:34:35,760 --> 00:34:38,400 Speaker 1: forth because virtually every people on the face of the 546 00:34:38,400 --> 00:34:41,319 Speaker 1: earth was involved in slavery. So figuring out who owes 547 00:34:41,360 --> 00:34:44,560 Speaker 1: what is gonna be a hell of an achievement. Okay, 548 00:34:44,640 --> 00:34:48,560 Speaker 1: Larry whatever, but you know he's not alone. What about 549 00:34:48,600 --> 00:34:51,960 Speaker 1: the former NFL and Heisman Trophy winner herschel Walker. I've 550 00:34:52,000 --> 00:34:56,960 Speaker 1: been a fan, you know, But come on, reparation, wherever 551 00:34:57,000 --> 00:34:59,879 Speaker 1: the money come from, who is blowing what we're sent 552 00:35:00,000 --> 00:35:03,359 Speaker 1: it's you're blight. Must you be to receive reparation if 553 00:35:03,400 --> 00:35:06,840 Speaker 1: reparation is a fee or a correction for a terrible 554 00:35:06,880 --> 00:35:11,640 Speaker 1: sin of slave owners, government and others. But we punished 555 00:35:11,640 --> 00:35:15,279 Speaker 1: the non guilty party. Is it not creating division, a 556 00:35:15,440 --> 00:35:20,600 Speaker 1: separation with different races reparation? I feel it continues to 557 00:35:20,680 --> 00:35:25,000 Speaker 1: let us know we're still African American rather than just America. 558 00:35:25,640 --> 00:35:45,000 Speaker 1: That's the American way, Scribd everybody, that's America's defining legacy. 559 00:35:45,560 --> 00:36:03,240 Speaker 1: It's hard out. I know that's cold step that Beyonce, Yeah, okay, 560 00:36:03,239 --> 00:36:06,719 Speaker 1: but hey, you know we're talking about Larry and Herschel, 561 00:36:07,080 --> 00:36:09,439 Speaker 1: two black men and their issues. But in the course 562 00:36:09,480 --> 00:36:11,400 Speaker 1: of this journey over and over, I've been struck by 563 00:36:11,400 --> 00:36:16,560 Speaker 1: white people and their reluctance to engage in this discussion wholeheartedly. Now, 564 00:36:16,680 --> 00:36:18,520 Speaker 1: I was the one who said it that I know 565 00:36:18,640 --> 00:36:21,920 Speaker 1: that they have their reasons for white fragility, but I 566 00:36:21,960 --> 00:36:25,160 Speaker 1: saw some reluctance from you to Whitney, and I think 567 00:36:25,160 --> 00:36:27,839 Speaker 1: it kept you at arms a distance and relegated you 568 00:36:27,880 --> 00:36:31,400 Speaker 1: to being a voyeur like watching and commenting, but not 569 00:36:31,560 --> 00:36:38,839 Speaker 1: sacrificing or offering yourself And by that I mean personal testimony. 570 00:36:39,000 --> 00:36:42,760 Speaker 1: That's how I saw it. But it took some time 571 00:36:42,920 --> 00:36:46,200 Speaker 1: for me to realize that although you work and create 572 00:36:46,239 --> 00:36:48,919 Speaker 1: powerful projects in this arena, and I'm talking about race, 573 00:36:50,000 --> 00:36:53,839 Speaker 1: you may have some white fragility and fear too, because 574 00:36:53,880 --> 00:36:57,319 Speaker 1: sometimes in our discussions, however, unconsciously, I thought you were 575 00:36:57,320 --> 00:37:00,439 Speaker 1: trying to protect yourself and I was frustrated. So, though 576 00:37:00,480 --> 00:37:03,520 Speaker 1: you may be way further down the line than most 577 00:37:03,560 --> 00:37:07,160 Speaker 1: other white people, I think your white persons work in 578 00:37:07,280 --> 00:37:12,560 Speaker 1: progress side should always be posted. Well, I think we're 579 00:37:12,560 --> 00:37:15,440 Speaker 1: all work in progress, and these are hard conversations to have. 580 00:37:15,719 --> 00:37:18,120 Speaker 1: I'm not surprised you felt that way, No, I and 581 00:37:18,200 --> 00:37:21,120 Speaker 1: I get it with me. I do, but as a 582 00:37:21,160 --> 00:37:25,320 Speaker 1: black woman, I cannot deflect or avoid this conversation. My people, 583 00:37:25,719 --> 00:37:28,520 Speaker 1: my family is all in. I'm all in. I'm more 584 00:37:28,520 --> 00:37:31,960 Speaker 1: exposed and more vulnerable. So that said, so we can 585 00:37:32,000 --> 00:37:35,480 Speaker 1: be clear. I believe the moral states should must be 586 00:37:35,600 --> 00:37:39,919 Speaker 1: higher for you. So your investment must be more significant, 587 00:37:40,560 --> 00:37:44,080 Speaker 1: you know, because y'all got a ways to go, and 588 00:37:44,080 --> 00:37:46,839 Speaker 1: that's the only way you can catch up, and we 589 00:37:46,880 --> 00:37:49,600 Speaker 1: need you all to catch up. But hey, you know 590 00:37:49,760 --> 00:37:54,400 Speaker 1: we're on the road together, brother, Okay, so let us 591 00:37:54,480 --> 00:37:58,279 Speaker 1: keep moving. Some of the places we visited along the 592 00:37:58,280 --> 00:38:02,799 Speaker 1: way made me mad dir matter than usual. Okay, yeah, 593 00:38:02,800 --> 00:38:06,120 Speaker 1: I remember you with the old slave market New York City, 594 00:38:06,280 --> 00:38:08,640 Speaker 1: right there on Wall Street and the slave burial grounds. 595 00:38:08,680 --> 00:38:11,560 Speaker 1: There you think of slavery. You don't typically think of 596 00:38:11,600 --> 00:38:14,560 Speaker 1: New York, but there it was, the slave market right 597 00:38:14,560 --> 00:38:17,520 Speaker 1: across from the stock Exchange. In other places where a 598 00:38:17,560 --> 00:38:21,520 Speaker 1: mixture of excitement and frustration like in d C. Oh boy, 599 00:38:22,480 --> 00:38:24,920 Speaker 1: it makes me stop and think about the full name Washington, 600 00:38:25,080 --> 00:38:28,719 Speaker 1: d C. I mean to bring it home. Its name 601 00:38:28,760 --> 00:38:31,040 Speaker 1: is a capital city is unique in all the world. 602 00:38:31,480 --> 00:38:33,840 Speaker 1: Our capital, the capital of the Land of the Free, 603 00:38:34,239 --> 00:38:36,360 Speaker 1: is named after a big time slave owner, a slave 604 00:38:36,360 --> 00:38:38,360 Speaker 1: owner who is relentless in his pursuit of one of 605 00:38:38,400 --> 00:38:41,359 Speaker 1: his former captives on a judge. So when you played 606 00:38:41,360 --> 00:38:44,279 Speaker 1: in the movie Arica George Washington, the Forging of the Nation, 607 00:38:44,640 --> 00:38:48,080 Speaker 1: m m m and yeah I did play. Only they 608 00:38:48,120 --> 00:38:50,080 Speaker 1: had Washington put in the paper asking for it to 609 00:38:50,080 --> 00:38:52,600 Speaker 1: be captured and brought it back to him. Said she 610 00:38:52,760 --> 00:38:59,000 Speaker 1: was delicately formed, delicately formed. Wow. Now this was the 611 00:38:59,080 --> 00:39:02,799 Speaker 1: son of Freedom who signed into law the Fugitive Slave Act. 612 00:39:03,000 --> 00:39:04,600 Speaker 1: You know, we were all too in Washington for the 613 00:39:04,600 --> 00:39:07,960 Speaker 1: debate of HR forty and it's just a resolution to 614 00:39:08,040 --> 00:39:11,440 Speaker 1: study reparations. But the pushback against it, you'd think it 615 00:39:11,480 --> 00:39:15,080 Speaker 1: was to put Florida in the water or something. Floor right. 616 00:39:15,239 --> 00:39:18,680 Speaker 1: That's good, I mean, but that was a trip, and 617 00:39:18,719 --> 00:39:21,200 Speaker 1: in a lot of epic journeys, we find ourselves coming 618 00:39:21,280 --> 00:39:25,399 Speaker 1: full circle and that means coming home. Going to visit 619 00:39:25,440 --> 00:39:27,799 Speaker 1: your father's grave was kind of a homegoing it was, 620 00:39:28,560 --> 00:39:32,520 Speaker 1: but kind of a lonely one. That's sad. Remote little 621 00:39:32,560 --> 00:39:35,640 Speaker 1: piece of ground was a sort of karmic reminder of 622 00:39:35,719 --> 00:39:39,600 Speaker 1: his failure to live up to greater expectations. For my dad, 623 00:39:39,800 --> 00:39:42,719 Speaker 1: it was to God, and yet he's not bound to 624 00:39:42,760 --> 00:39:47,000 Speaker 1: a piece of dirt. He let's hope we all are 625 00:39:47,080 --> 00:39:51,000 Speaker 1: saved by amazing grace. But it's hard to say if 626 00:39:51,000 --> 00:39:54,880 Speaker 1: there was any there there. So maybe home is inside 627 00:39:54,960 --> 00:39:58,440 Speaker 1: of us. My father's barely marked grave seems like a 628 00:39:58,480 --> 00:40:02,280 Speaker 1: small thing in the world, but his Black American dreams 629 00:40:02,320 --> 00:40:06,239 Speaker 1: for what America could be. They have their home and me, 630 00:40:06,680 --> 00:40:09,239 Speaker 1: you know, we saw another version of home, kind of 631 00:40:09,239 --> 00:40:12,279 Speaker 1: a starting place that you find yourself returning to our 632 00:40:12,360 --> 00:40:15,920 Speaker 1: visit to the Whitney plantation in Louisiana, and it's just 633 00:40:16,040 --> 00:40:18,880 Speaker 1: a coincidence that it's your name right, Yes, Erica, it's 634 00:40:18,920 --> 00:40:22,239 Speaker 1: just a coincidence. But the Whitney Plantation is unique as 635 00:40:22,280 --> 00:40:25,640 Speaker 1: a historical place and that unlike other slave plantations you 636 00:40:25,680 --> 00:40:27,759 Speaker 1: can visit in the Old South, this one tells its 637 00:40:27,800 --> 00:40:30,200 Speaker 1: story from the point of view of the enslaved Africans 638 00:40:30,200 --> 00:40:32,680 Speaker 1: who lived and worked and died there. That was new. 639 00:40:33,040 --> 00:40:35,839 Speaker 1: That was the gift that keeps giving. And we've had 640 00:40:35,880 --> 00:40:38,440 Speaker 1: a beautiful mix of people of all colors, even the 641 00:40:38,520 --> 00:40:41,520 Speaker 1: Native American couple from the Dakota tribe. And what they 642 00:40:41,560 --> 00:40:43,880 Speaker 1: all had in common was that they were looking for 643 00:40:43,920 --> 00:40:47,000 Speaker 1: a greater understanding of slavery to heal and fortify their 644 00:40:47,040 --> 00:40:53,480 Speaker 1: own lives. Like you and me, Whitney, Patna Camp. I 645 00:40:53,560 --> 00:40:58,520 Speaker 1: am from Curry Island, Minnesota. It's an Accuota community in Minnesota. 646 00:40:59,480 --> 00:41:03,279 Speaker 1: Maybe at us you know, our language, our culture. You know, 647 00:41:03,360 --> 00:41:07,200 Speaker 1: we're still fighting that today, bringing our language back. And 648 00:41:07,200 --> 00:41:10,160 Speaker 1: my husband's half Native and half Black, so his struggle 649 00:41:10,719 --> 00:41:13,200 Speaker 1: trying to learn and he'll tell you he's not Black 650 00:41:13,320 --> 00:41:15,920 Speaker 1: enough for black people, he's not Indian enough for Indian people. 651 00:41:15,960 --> 00:41:18,760 Speaker 1: So he's always you know, and for our kids, because 652 00:41:19,120 --> 00:41:20,799 Speaker 1: some of our kids look one way. Some of our 653 00:41:20,880 --> 00:41:24,640 Speaker 1: kids like it's half and half. So their struggles are different. 654 00:41:24,719 --> 00:41:28,000 Speaker 1: So you know, sometimes I'm just black, I'm just Indian. 655 00:41:28,160 --> 00:41:31,200 Speaker 1: They don't like it's hard for them to identify with 656 00:41:31,320 --> 00:41:35,040 Speaker 1: either or because it's you know, we're so colonized you 657 00:41:35,200 --> 00:41:39,520 Speaker 1: can't be both. But you know, we talked about that flag, 658 00:41:39,560 --> 00:41:41,759 Speaker 1: and I said, it doesn't mean anything to me. You know, 659 00:41:41,840 --> 00:41:44,320 Speaker 1: I respect veterans like that flag, and we don't stand. 660 00:41:45,000 --> 00:41:47,839 Speaker 1: We sit, and we have to fight when people when 661 00:41:47,880 --> 00:41:50,360 Speaker 1: we go to games and we have to fight with 662 00:41:50,400 --> 00:41:54,000 Speaker 1: people have arguments and like tell them our point of view, Like, no, 663 00:41:54,600 --> 00:41:58,439 Speaker 1: I don't respect us flag. I just and I teach 664 00:41:58,520 --> 00:42:03,000 Speaker 1: my kids that too. I mean Sammuel Wells from Prairie Island, Minnesota. 665 00:42:03,680 --> 00:42:08,799 Speaker 1: My father is from Camden, Alabama, and he told me 666 00:42:08,880 --> 00:42:10,840 Speaker 1: stories when he was a kid of how they was 667 00:42:10,880 --> 00:42:14,920 Speaker 1: treated back then. This is in the fifties. His daddy 668 00:42:15,000 --> 00:42:18,520 Speaker 1: was a slave. My grandfather was a slave. His name 669 00:42:18,600 --> 00:42:23,640 Speaker 1: was Frank and my grandfather couldn't read all right, but 670 00:42:23,680 --> 00:42:27,239 Speaker 1: he was a great builder and he built houses and 671 00:42:27,320 --> 00:42:29,719 Speaker 1: churches and stuff like that. So for me to come 672 00:42:29,760 --> 00:42:34,960 Speaker 1: here and see this, it's just um, it gives me 673 00:42:35,000 --> 00:42:37,160 Speaker 1: a great appreciation for my father and what he's been 674 00:42:37,200 --> 00:42:44,120 Speaker 1: through because he's he's heard while he was back there 675 00:42:44,160 --> 00:42:46,759 Speaker 1: at home in Campden, he he could hear in the 676 00:42:46,880 --> 00:42:50,880 Speaker 1: distance of things happening. He told me a story where 677 00:42:51,080 --> 00:42:55,560 Speaker 1: he remembered a man was accused of something that he 678 00:42:55,600 --> 00:43:00,080 Speaker 1: didn't do, and so he ran and my dad, I 679 00:43:00,120 --> 00:43:03,640 Speaker 1: could hear the hounds chasing him and the man's chasing him. 680 00:43:03,640 --> 00:43:08,440 Speaker 1: This man ran up a tree and the hounds found him, 681 00:43:08,480 --> 00:43:12,520 Speaker 1: and he refused to come down. So what they did 682 00:43:12,680 --> 00:43:17,240 Speaker 1: was they set the tree on fire. So he was doomed. 683 00:43:17,880 --> 00:43:19,879 Speaker 1: He's either gonna burn up a tree or jumped down 684 00:43:19,880 --> 00:43:23,920 Speaker 1: to these dogs. And uh, my dad told me that 685 00:43:24,080 --> 00:43:26,719 Speaker 1: he could hear the man running and screaming. He could 686 00:43:26,760 --> 00:43:30,040 Speaker 1: hear the commotion of him screaming in a tree while 687 00:43:30,040 --> 00:43:34,600 Speaker 1: I was on fire, you know. And for me to 688 00:43:34,640 --> 00:43:42,920 Speaker 1: think about that, no, excuse me. You know, the things 689 00:43:43,120 --> 00:43:48,560 Speaker 1: my dad went through, the things he's seen, and he 690 00:43:48,680 --> 00:43:53,400 Speaker 1: survived us. We are not that far from this tragedy. 691 00:43:54,080 --> 00:43:59,680 Speaker 1: And to come here and to feel these people's soul, 692 00:44:00,920 --> 00:44:04,359 Speaker 1: because I wonder who soul is still trapped out here, 693 00:44:05,560 --> 00:44:10,400 Speaker 1: the kids to the grandparents. How do we free their soul. 694 00:44:18,160 --> 00:44:20,920 Speaker 1: So the way this is laid out, they put a 695 00:44:21,040 --> 00:44:24,200 Speaker 1: map and they want us to experience a certain way, 696 00:44:24,960 --> 00:44:27,560 Speaker 1: and it says Whitney Plantation. And there's a map key, 697 00:44:27,840 --> 00:44:30,120 Speaker 1: and there's a wall of honor, the big house, the 698 00:44:30,120 --> 00:44:34,800 Speaker 1: plantation store, the kitchen, the overseaers house, the blacksmith's shop, jail, 699 00:44:34,920 --> 00:44:40,320 Speaker 1: the slave quarters, sugar kettles, German Coast, Uprising memorial artwork, 700 00:44:40,440 --> 00:44:44,560 Speaker 1: field of Angels, Ali's Gwendoline mid Low Hall in Antiach 701 00:44:45,239 --> 00:44:51,080 Speaker 1: Baptist Church. That's how it goes. So we heard some 702 00:44:51,200 --> 00:44:55,120 Speaker 1: music playing and some drumming, and we're gonna go inside 703 00:44:55,120 --> 00:45:34,799 Speaker 1: the church. Oh oh, whoa chick here? Man me right? Well, 704 00:45:34,840 --> 00:45:38,759 Speaker 1: we were singing a song called Oh Angel, or Slow 705 00:45:38,800 --> 00:45:42,200 Speaker 1: Down Your Chariot. We were singing that song because it 706 00:45:42,360 --> 00:45:46,359 Speaker 1: just reminded us of home. So we just wanted to 707 00:45:46,719 --> 00:45:51,960 Speaker 1: pay tribute to our ancestors here and we wanted to 708 00:45:52,000 --> 00:45:54,919 Speaker 1: say something that we knew that would give them joy. 709 00:45:55,760 --> 00:45:59,480 Speaker 1: This time means everything. This is another turning point in 710 00:45:59,640 --> 00:46:02,799 Speaker 1: our history, in our lives, and thank god we're here 711 00:46:02,840 --> 00:46:07,120 Speaker 1: to see it. It's and we're still fighting for freedom, 712 00:46:07,200 --> 00:46:10,160 Speaker 1: we're still fighting for equal rights. And we come here 713 00:46:10,360 --> 00:46:14,200 Speaker 1: to this plantation to see where there wasn't any and 714 00:46:14,280 --> 00:46:17,200 Speaker 1: we're looking for Reverend. This is why we asked for reparations, 715 00:46:17,239 --> 00:46:19,960 Speaker 1: because it's all of this free labor that made these 716 00:46:20,000 --> 00:46:23,919 Speaker 1: beautiful grounds. So this means everything to us, this turning point, 717 00:46:23,960 --> 00:46:26,360 Speaker 1: and we have to keep fighting. Thank you for blessing 718 00:46:26,440 --> 00:46:32,240 Speaker 1: us today. Appreciate your time. Ready to go? Yeah, okay, 719 00:46:38,880 --> 00:46:42,239 Speaker 1: all right, so we are back on the trail. You know, 720 00:46:42,280 --> 00:46:45,919 Speaker 1: it's a pleasant day to day, so it almost looks 721 00:46:45,960 --> 00:46:51,080 Speaker 1: like something that's out of a Sundance catalog. She does, 722 00:46:51,120 --> 00:46:54,360 Speaker 1: doesn't it like it looks quaint? But there's no doubt 723 00:46:55,160 --> 00:46:57,200 Speaker 1: that if you had to spend your life every week 724 00:46:57,200 --> 00:47:02,280 Speaker 1: and hour slaving for white people all day, having kids, 725 00:47:02,320 --> 00:47:05,799 Speaker 1: being sold all and then getting paid nothing for it, 726 00:47:06,280 --> 00:47:09,319 Speaker 1: and then maybe having a piece of corn bread and 727 00:47:09,400 --> 00:47:17,840 Speaker 1: some greens for hundreds of years, I really believe that 728 00:47:17,920 --> 00:47:22,520 Speaker 1: America has held a pay Oh don't you think it's 729 00:47:22,520 --> 00:47:27,600 Speaker 1: already paying? No, but how was it paying? In your opinion? 730 00:47:28,360 --> 00:47:30,120 Speaker 1: This is what you know. I've said this so many 731 00:47:30,160 --> 00:47:32,160 Speaker 1: times that you know, you get you get annoyed with me. 732 00:47:32,239 --> 00:47:36,200 Speaker 1: But I feel like white people are like myself, are 733 00:47:36,320 --> 00:47:41,200 Speaker 1: trying to imagine a future and can't really imagine what 734 00:47:41,320 --> 00:47:45,520 Speaker 1: that future looks like where we actually embrace this past 735 00:47:45,680 --> 00:47:48,799 Speaker 1: and understand it. So it's it's really confusing. I'm trying 736 00:47:48,840 --> 00:47:51,719 Speaker 1: to be like, imagine a positive future, and that's that's 737 00:47:51,760 --> 00:47:54,000 Speaker 1: what I'm saying. So then why don't you imagine the 738 00:47:54,000 --> 00:47:57,120 Speaker 1: future that you both say? What's the future? That's builting? 739 00:47:57,440 --> 00:47:59,200 Speaker 1: Actually want to know what I really think there. I 740 00:47:59,280 --> 00:48:02,200 Speaker 1: don't think that there's actually going to be a reconciliation. 741 00:48:02,280 --> 00:48:04,680 Speaker 1: I don't think that there's actually going to be reparations. 742 00:48:04,680 --> 00:48:07,600 Speaker 1: And I don't think that that there's actually going to 743 00:48:07,680 --> 00:48:10,600 Speaker 1: be some sort of unity. I don't I don't think 744 00:48:10,640 --> 00:48:13,239 Speaker 1: that America has really built to grapple with like the 745 00:48:13,360 --> 00:48:15,680 Speaker 1: really hard problems like that, So I don't know what 746 00:48:15,719 --> 00:48:18,080 Speaker 1: that means. So I think there's gonna be bloodshed, I 747 00:48:18,120 --> 00:48:21,920 Speaker 1: don't know. I feel like if there hasn't been already, 748 00:48:20,840 --> 00:48:24,120 Speaker 1: but not you're talking about it on a scale. Yes, 749 00:48:24,120 --> 00:48:26,040 Speaker 1: there's gonna be some, there's always going to be some. 750 00:48:26,080 --> 00:48:27,759 Speaker 1: There's lots of bloodshed in America, But is there going 751 00:48:27,800 --> 00:48:30,399 Speaker 1: to be you're talking about like on a massive scale. Well, 752 00:48:30,400 --> 00:48:33,439 Speaker 1: now people massively have guns. One thing that your people 753 00:48:33,480 --> 00:48:36,400 Speaker 1: have done. Is they farmed everybody. Yeah, but there's been 754 00:48:36,400 --> 00:48:38,520 Speaker 1: I mean things is that I think that the thing 755 00:48:38,560 --> 00:48:41,880 Speaker 1: you have to be like cognizant of is that's actually 756 00:48:42,000 --> 00:48:44,640 Speaker 1: if you've read the Turner Diaries or any white supremacists. Look, 757 00:48:44,880 --> 00:48:49,279 Speaker 1: that's what they're counting on. They're counting white supremacists. Their 758 00:48:49,640 --> 00:48:53,160 Speaker 1: belief system is that they're praying for race war because 759 00:48:53,160 --> 00:48:55,520 Speaker 1: they believe they can win a race war. So when 760 00:48:55,520 --> 00:48:58,279 Speaker 1: you talk about black people rising up, that's what white 761 00:48:58,280 --> 00:49:01,719 Speaker 1: supremacists greatest dream is that black people rise up because 762 00:49:01,719 --> 00:49:04,160 Speaker 1: they believe that they have the weapons and they have 763 00:49:04,719 --> 00:49:08,040 Speaker 1: the government on the side, that that will actually put 764 00:49:08,160 --> 00:49:10,640 Speaker 1: a final end to the race war by destroying black 765 00:49:10,640 --> 00:49:13,200 Speaker 1: people personally. I don't think there is going to be 766 00:49:13,360 --> 00:49:15,480 Speaker 1: a race war. When you say you say you think 767 00:49:15,480 --> 00:49:17,560 Speaker 1: there's going you think there's going to be something, I 768 00:49:17,600 --> 00:49:20,200 Speaker 1: think that there already is something we're seeing black people. 769 00:49:21,040 --> 00:49:23,000 Speaker 1: You think it's going to go along more of the same. 770 00:49:23,320 --> 00:49:26,480 Speaker 1: You've never seen any country and history, including the Greeks 771 00:49:26,520 --> 00:49:30,719 Speaker 1: or Romans, go along. They all destroy themselves in the 772 00:49:30,800 --> 00:49:34,640 Speaker 1: long run, like all empires, us will fall in the 773 00:49:34,719 --> 00:49:37,960 Speaker 1: short run. I don't think there's gonna be some massive 774 00:49:38,200 --> 00:49:40,000 Speaker 1: I know. But you keep talking about short time and 775 00:49:40,000 --> 00:49:43,160 Speaker 1: I'm not now I go there, You go that there's 776 00:49:43,239 --> 00:49:47,359 Speaker 1: no nation ever that has held themselves if they do 777 00:49:47,440 --> 00:49:50,839 Speaker 1: not put the people together. And that's what you do. 778 00:49:50,960 --> 00:49:53,800 Speaker 1: Know what happens in nations that don't come together, They fall. 779 00:49:54,680 --> 00:49:57,680 Speaker 1: They have always fallen. And it doesn't have to be 780 00:49:57,760 --> 00:50:00,759 Speaker 1: the outside to eat you. Doesn't be Russia to communists. 781 00:50:01,320 --> 00:50:05,880 Speaker 1: It's the disease in the cancer that we carry, you know. 782 00:50:06,000 --> 00:50:08,760 Speaker 1: I had to journey even further to see a version 783 00:50:08,880 --> 00:50:12,360 Speaker 1: of home. I visited Ghana in two thousand nineteen along 784 00:50:12,400 --> 00:50:15,279 Speaker 1: with my mother, the famous Sammy Alexander, and I saw 785 00:50:15,320 --> 00:50:19,239 Speaker 1: it close, the slave dungeons where captive people waited to 786 00:50:19,280 --> 00:50:21,759 Speaker 1: be shipped across the sea, in the stinking holds of 787 00:50:21,800 --> 00:50:25,080 Speaker 1: the slave ships. That must have been incredible. It was, 788 00:50:25,920 --> 00:50:27,880 Speaker 1: and I was moved. I was moved in ways I 789 00:50:27,880 --> 00:50:31,280 Speaker 1: expected and didn't expect. And I learned so much Whitney, 790 00:50:31,840 --> 00:50:35,560 Speaker 1: including some of the subtleties of the slavery story. Was 791 00:50:35,600 --> 00:50:39,120 Speaker 1: the existing institution of slavery in Africa, like the chattel 792 00:50:39,120 --> 00:50:42,759 Speaker 1: slavery instituted in America by the Atlantic slave trade or not. 793 00:50:46,680 --> 00:50:58,719 Speaker 1: Africa first and foremost all of you are welcome to 794 00:50:59,400 --> 00:51:03,239 Speaker 1: the Cape Castle Dungeon. I have the privilege and the 795 00:51:03,239 --> 00:51:06,960 Speaker 1: pleasure to be your main guide here through this experience. Today. 796 00:51:07,080 --> 00:51:09,200 Speaker 1: When I say the Cape Coast Castle Dungeon, I say 797 00:51:09,200 --> 00:51:12,239 Speaker 1: that on purpose because, as all of your information has 798 00:51:12,280 --> 00:51:15,359 Speaker 1: informed you, this is the Cape Coast Castle. But many 799 00:51:15,360 --> 00:51:17,120 Speaker 1: of us have also been a part of a movement 800 00:51:17,160 --> 00:51:19,600 Speaker 1: to try to say is the Cape Coast Castle Dungeon, 801 00:51:20,080 --> 00:51:22,719 Speaker 1: because when we just used the term castle, it kind 802 00:51:22,719 --> 00:51:25,439 Speaker 1: of suggests some fairytale images of once upon a time 803 00:51:26,000 --> 00:51:28,319 Speaker 1: and they lived happily ever after. But we know that 804 00:51:28,400 --> 00:51:32,480 Speaker 1: these monuments were named historical monuments by UNESCO because of 805 00:51:32,560 --> 00:51:36,200 Speaker 1: the role they played in the infamous North Atlantic slave trade. 806 00:51:37,000 --> 00:51:39,800 Speaker 1: But today we have not come here to feel sorry 807 00:51:39,840 --> 00:51:44,640 Speaker 1: for ourselves. Today we have come here to celebrate African 808 00:51:44,760 --> 00:51:49,800 Speaker 1: resilience because when we realize what our ancestors went through 809 00:51:50,360 --> 00:51:53,400 Speaker 1: and where they were brought to almost into the bottom 810 00:51:53,440 --> 00:51:58,160 Speaker 1: of hell, and yet they saw within their spirit, they 811 00:51:58,280 --> 00:52:01,960 Speaker 1: garnered enough strength with in their spirit to dare to 812 00:52:02,120 --> 00:52:05,520 Speaker 1: define death and to choose to live, so that we 813 00:52:05,600 --> 00:52:09,880 Speaker 1: can be designed about who he was, even small for 814 00:52:10,040 --> 00:52:14,799 Speaker 1: the pad to the hundreds and thousands that were being occupied, 815 00:52:14,920 --> 00:52:17,560 Speaker 1: and he's done it at the same time. So even 816 00:52:17,560 --> 00:52:21,279 Speaker 1: if our numbers are two hundreds, imagine that the male 817 00:52:21,360 --> 00:52:25,520 Speaker 1: dungeon that we're going into house hundreds animals. Imagine that 818 00:52:25,600 --> 00:52:28,200 Speaker 1: we're two hundreds, and the female dungeons that were visited 819 00:52:28,440 --> 00:52:31,040 Speaker 1: were housed a minimum of three hundred at a time. 820 00:52:31,600 --> 00:52:34,200 Speaker 1: So even though our numbers will be proud and then 821 00:52:34,239 --> 00:52:37,000 Speaker 1: were und the sweating, we remember again the challenges that 822 00:52:37,000 --> 00:52:40,560 Speaker 1: our ancestors went through when we arrived there and we 823 00:52:40,560 --> 00:52:45,400 Speaker 1: weren't incocerated again. This is the door of no return. 824 00:52:46,760 --> 00:52:48,719 Speaker 1: This is the door that we thought that we never 825 00:52:48,719 --> 00:52:54,280 Speaker 1: see Africa again. Those are our ancestors were pressing there. 826 00:52:54,560 --> 00:52:58,480 Speaker 1: They didn't know their destination. Nobody gave them an itinerary, 827 00:52:59,440 --> 00:53:01,520 Speaker 1: Nobody told them the time it would take to reach 828 00:53:01,560 --> 00:53:03,880 Speaker 1: where they were going, or where they were going, or 829 00:53:03,880 --> 00:53:09,440 Speaker 1: the condition. Like the dungeons that they left going through 830 00:53:09,480 --> 00:53:13,480 Speaker 1: this door was still darkness. There was no tall God, 831 00:53:14,640 --> 00:53:19,560 Speaker 1: there was no travel God. Um. Rabbi Khema Tanya how Levi. 832 00:53:19,719 --> 00:53:22,200 Speaker 1: I'm the executive secretary of the kind of Fest Foundation. 833 00:53:22,760 --> 00:53:25,120 Speaker 1: We do a bi annual festival here in Ghana every 834 00:53:25,120 --> 00:53:27,880 Speaker 1: two years, bringing artisans and scholars from all over the 835 00:53:27,880 --> 00:53:30,759 Speaker 1: African world um to come to put forward in that 836 00:53:30,840 --> 00:53:36,840 Speaker 1: for the United the African family, Erica, Alexander and the 837 00:53:36,960 --> 00:53:40,279 Speaker 1: producer in the States, and thank you for one thing. 838 00:53:40,320 --> 00:53:47,440 Speaker 1: You're magnificent, Thank you and spiritual guy. Thank you. Do 839 00:53:47,480 --> 00:53:48,880 Speaker 1: you mind if I ask you a few questions? And 840 00:53:49,000 --> 00:53:52,759 Speaker 1: certainly thank you. We think about reparations, and I think 841 00:53:52,800 --> 00:53:56,560 Speaker 1: reparations is something that is long overdue. It seems to 842 00:53:56,640 --> 00:53:58,600 Speaker 1: only be a strange word when it's applied to the 843 00:53:58,600 --> 00:54:02,200 Speaker 1: African experience. Whenever other any other people have gone to war, 844 00:54:02,239 --> 00:54:04,640 Speaker 1: have been devastated at any conflict, the first thing that 845 00:54:04,680 --> 00:54:07,480 Speaker 1: the international body comes together to talk about is how 846 00:54:07,520 --> 00:54:09,640 Speaker 1: are we going to restore this nation who has been 847 00:54:09,719 --> 00:54:13,319 Speaker 1: ravaged by war, by invasion or whatever. Reparations is only 848 00:54:13,360 --> 00:54:15,520 Speaker 1: a debate when it comes to the African experience, and 849 00:54:15,560 --> 00:54:18,600 Speaker 1: reparations is often a debate because people always quantify it 850 00:54:18,800 --> 00:54:21,520 Speaker 1: and money first. But reparations at the root of his 851 00:54:21,560 --> 00:54:24,840 Speaker 1: world means to repair a serious interruption in the African 852 00:54:24,840 --> 00:54:28,200 Speaker 1: experience and the continuity of the African experience took place. 853 00:54:28,400 --> 00:54:31,840 Speaker 1: It took place over centuries by multiple players, by multiple 854 00:54:31,880 --> 00:54:35,520 Speaker 1: multiple perpetrators, and Africans were victimized, and Africans are more 855 00:54:35,520 --> 00:54:38,560 Speaker 1: than worthy of having their condition addressed and having the 856 00:54:38,600 --> 00:54:41,120 Speaker 1: world come together to talk about how is Africa going 857 00:54:41,160 --> 00:54:44,719 Speaker 1: to be repaired with Africans at the center of that process. Now, 858 00:54:44,719 --> 00:54:46,439 Speaker 1: when you say the Africans will be at the center 859 00:54:46,440 --> 00:54:49,239 Speaker 1: of the process, we are here in Ghana. And then 860 00:54:49,320 --> 00:54:51,360 Speaker 1: we have to have a discussion with so many people 861 00:54:51,360 --> 00:54:55,320 Speaker 1: brought up that the African country itself and different countries 862 00:54:55,520 --> 00:54:59,240 Speaker 1: put different tribes and their own people on those boats. 863 00:54:59,280 --> 00:55:01,200 Speaker 1: Should they have an part in reparations? And what do 864 00:55:01,239 --> 00:55:04,520 Speaker 1: you feel about that? I do feel that everyone has 865 00:55:04,520 --> 00:55:06,440 Speaker 1: a part in that. I think the onus is on 866 00:55:06,480 --> 00:55:08,680 Speaker 1: those who would have been a factors. Africa is truly 867 00:55:08,719 --> 00:55:11,759 Speaker 1: the victim and those who cooperate and collaborated within the 868 00:55:11,800 --> 00:55:14,600 Speaker 1: minority of the African populations. And because we had a 869 00:55:14,640 --> 00:55:17,200 Speaker 1: few people that were part of the collaboration, you cannot 870 00:55:17,239 --> 00:55:20,680 Speaker 1: indicte and blame a whole people, you know, who were victimized. 871 00:55:20,800 --> 00:55:23,840 Speaker 1: There's not a single experience of any African family on 872 00:55:23,880 --> 00:55:26,120 Speaker 1: the face of this earth that have ever been conquered, 873 00:55:26,120 --> 00:55:28,880 Speaker 1: ever been infiltrated without the collaboration of some of their 874 00:55:28,920 --> 00:55:31,680 Speaker 1: own indigenous people. But Africans are the only one blamed 875 00:55:31,680 --> 00:55:34,600 Speaker 1: for their own horrific experience. So Africans should not be 876 00:55:34,880 --> 00:55:37,719 Speaker 1: continue to travel down the false line that Africans just 877 00:55:37,760 --> 00:55:40,440 Speaker 1: sold Africans with a blanket statement. So we must understand 878 00:55:40,440 --> 00:55:43,319 Speaker 1: who would the perpetrators, who would have victims, who would 879 00:55:43,320 --> 00:55:45,200 Speaker 1: have been a factors, and who were those who took 880 00:55:45,239 --> 00:55:47,959 Speaker 1: the loss. So reparations of the broad subject and people 881 00:55:48,000 --> 00:55:51,000 Speaker 1: should be bold enough to discuss it without boundaries. This 882 00:55:51,080 --> 00:55:53,880 Speaker 1: is not just a Black experience on African experience on 883 00:55:54,000 --> 00:55:57,560 Speaker 1: African American experience. This is a human experience. The whole 884 00:55:57,560 --> 00:56:01,640 Speaker 1: world benefited off of Africa being ravage. The whole memorial 885 00:56:01,719 --> 00:56:05,320 Speaker 1: must participate in the healing process. Nobody can be outside 886 00:56:05,400 --> 00:56:07,520 Speaker 1: of the circle of that healing process. We need as 887 00:56:07,560 --> 00:56:10,719 Speaker 1: many forums as possible, but all segments of society to 888 00:56:10,840 --> 00:56:14,280 Speaker 1: participate in the debate. We must find ways to organize 889 00:56:14,280 --> 00:56:17,440 Speaker 1: our forums, our sessions, and our conferences so that it's 890 00:56:17,480 --> 00:56:20,600 Speaker 1: all inclusive, so people come to an understanding of how 891 00:56:20,640 --> 00:56:23,360 Speaker 1: to understand each other outside of conflict, but to understand 892 00:56:23,400 --> 00:57:05,160 Speaker 1: each other in dialogue. As run H Sing song rule, 893 00:57:05,280 --> 00:57:16,440 Speaker 1: of the ring, that the dark past, that's tad sing song. President, 894 00:57:21,400 --> 00:57:24,240 Speaker 1: that's powerful. And your visit there to learn about slavery 895 00:57:24,360 --> 00:57:26,439 Speaker 1: does give a whole new meaning to the word home. 896 00:57:26,880 --> 00:57:30,160 Speaker 1: Isn't that funny? We keep saying home home is so 897 00:57:30,240 --> 00:57:33,280 Speaker 1: important in this discussion, And I keep thinking of Setha 898 00:57:33,360 --> 00:57:36,320 Speaker 1: and Paul d and the other formerly enslaved men and women, 899 00:57:36,320 --> 00:57:39,080 Speaker 1: and Tony Morrison's beloved who had worked and lived on 900 00:57:39,080 --> 00:57:42,720 Speaker 1: a plantation called Sweet Home, which he says was neither 901 00:57:42,800 --> 00:57:46,960 Speaker 1: sweet nor home. I think that idea of home is 902 00:57:47,000 --> 00:57:49,320 Speaker 1: tied up with the idea of justice. If you can't 903 00:57:49,320 --> 00:57:53,080 Speaker 1: get justice there, it's not home, is it? Exactly? Can 904 00:57:53,120 --> 00:57:57,200 Speaker 1: reparations find a home here in America? Slavery and race 905 00:57:57,480 --> 00:58:01,640 Speaker 1: was and is our national wound. By providing a kind 906 00:58:01,640 --> 00:58:06,480 Speaker 1: of closure, will reparations, will this kind of restorative justice 907 00:58:07,120 --> 00:58:14,560 Speaker 1: truly make this country a home for all the world. 908 00:58:14,600 --> 00:58:19,440 Speaker 1: The slave made was not her own, Its wealth piled 909 00:58:19,520 --> 00:58:25,560 Speaker 1: up the reckoning delay. Her children live here, but they 910 00:58:25,560 --> 00:58:29,600 Speaker 1: are not home and will not be until accounts are paid. 911 00:58:31,400 --> 00:58:35,919 Speaker 1: Accounts will be paid at the River Shining River, Muddy River. 912 00:58:36,480 --> 00:58:41,160 Speaker 1: Accounts will be paid at the River Weeping River, Hosannah River. 913 00:58:42,960 --> 00:58:47,640 Speaker 1: The River of Justice runs home to the sea. We 914 00:58:47,760 --> 00:58:53,400 Speaker 1: its tributaries feel and urge it on, damned sometimes sometimes 915 00:58:53,520 --> 00:59:03,280 Speaker 1: fast and free for generations yet unborne and generations gone, 916 00:59:07,680 --> 00:59:10,680 Speaker 1: and Whitney for real. Thank you for joining me on 917 00:59:10,720 --> 00:59:14,320 Speaker 1: this journey. You make a good team, and I couldn't 918 00:59:14,360 --> 00:59:16,919 Speaker 1: imagine a better companion. I feel the same way, Erica, 919 00:59:17,000 --> 00:59:19,160 Speaker 1: I couldn't imagine a better person to go looking for 920 00:59:19,240 --> 00:59:23,520 Speaker 1: home with. You're welcome a friend of ours. The Analog 921 00:59:23,600 --> 00:59:27,040 Speaker 1: Society and Master Ace wrote a song that perfectly sums 922 00:59:27,120 --> 00:59:31,120 Speaker 1: up our journey. It's a song to take us home, 923 00:59:31,360 --> 00:59:47,920 Speaker 1: Take us home. Let's getting late, man, I want to 924 00:59:48,000 --> 00:59:51,200 Speaker 1: go home, and no time for debate, Man, I want 925 00:59:51,200 --> 00:59:54,560 Speaker 1: to go home. My mind's in the statement I want 926 00:59:54,560 --> 00:59:57,919 Speaker 1: to go home. I'm feeling closed in and I want 927 00:59:57,920 --> 01:00:01,960 Speaker 1: to go wrong through the cotton field Menser back of plants, 928 01:00:02,360 --> 01:00:04,720 Speaker 1: got a fire burning in me like a jack O. 929 01:00:04,880 --> 01:00:09,280 Speaker 1: Land term and look over the shoulders and something. My 930 01:00:09,320 --> 01:00:15,080 Speaker 1: group was looking at you like you owe the money. Reparations, conversations. 931 01:00:15,640 --> 01:00:19,520 Speaker 1: Damn forty acres takes a lot of patience. Land of 932 01:00:19,600 --> 01:00:24,440 Speaker 1: the Free, Home of the brave, Blood of the child soul, 933 01:00:24,560 --> 01:00:30,280 Speaker 1: love the slave strange fruit hanging from a popular screamed 934 01:00:30,320 --> 01:00:33,320 Speaker 1: so loud it's like he's singing in the opera. He 935 01:00:33,480 --> 01:00:36,040 Speaker 1: wasn't guilty of the crime when they locked him up. 936 01:00:36,800 --> 01:00:40,320 Speaker 1: Damn shame. It could have been a doctor, bro You 937 01:00:40,440 --> 01:00:43,840 Speaker 1: should have could have water. But the fact remains, you'll 938 01:00:43,840 --> 01:00:47,520 Speaker 1: always be a threat when you're black with brains. They're 939 01:00:47,600 --> 01:00:51,640 Speaker 1: rather see it on the pavement, The spent and Enslaveman. 940 01:00:53,760 --> 01:00:56,880 Speaker 1: This podcast was produced by Eric Alexander, Ben Arnon and 941 01:00:56,960 --> 01:01:00,800 Speaker 1: Whitney Down. The executive producers are Sharp lamand the God 942 01:01:00,840 --> 01:01:05,200 Speaker 1: and Dolly s. Bishop. The supervising producer is Nicole Childers 943 01:01:05,440 --> 01:01:09,240 Speaker 1: and the lead producer is Devin Mavock Robbins. The Associate 944 01:01:09,240 --> 01:01:12,280 Speaker 1: producer is Kevin fam with additional research support provided by 945 01:01:12,320 --> 01:01:16,720 Speaker 1: Nile Blast. This episode was written by Tony Perrier. Original 946 01:01:16,840 --> 01:01:20,040 Speaker 1: music by d J D t P. The song You 947 01:01:20,160 --> 01:01:23,400 Speaker 1: Just Heard is Home in America by Analog Player Society 948 01:01:23,440 --> 01:01:27,080 Speaker 1: and Master Ace, produced by Ben Ruben. The single will 949 01:01:27,120 --> 01:01:30,240 Speaker 1: be released on all platforms on June eighteenth by Ropodote 950 01:01:30,280 --> 01:01:38,160 Speaker 1: Records Reparations. The Big Payback is a production of Color 951 01:01:38,200 --> 01:01:41,960 Speaker 1: Farm Media, I Heart Radio and The Black Effect Podcast 952 01:01:42,040 --> 01:01:46,400 Speaker 1: Network in association with Best Case Studios. For more podcasts 953 01:01:46,440 --> 01:01:49,479 Speaker 1: from I Heart Radio, visit the I heart Radio app, 954 01:01:49,800 --> 01:01:53,080 Speaker 1: Apple podcast, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.