From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the Twenty-First Century: Darity, William A., Mullen, A. Kirsten: 9781469654973: Amazon.com: Books

From Here to Equality Reparations for Black Americans in the Twenty-First Century: Darity, William A., Mullen, A. Kirsten: 9781469654973: Amazon.com: Books:

From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the Twenty-First Century Hardcover – April 20, 2020

by William A. Darity  (Author), A. Kirsten Mullen  (Author)

4.8 out of 5 stars    549 ratings

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Print length

424 pages

April 20, 2020

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Introduction: Standing At the Crossroads

Part 1

1: A Political History of America's Black Reparations Movement

2: Myths of Racial Equality

Part 2

3: Who Reaped the Fruits of Slavery?

4: Roads Not Taken In the Early Years of the Republic

Part 3

5: Alternatives to War and Slavery

6: Race and Racism During the Civil War

Part 4

7: Rehearsals for Freedom

8: Radicals and Rebels

9: Seven Mystic Years (1866-1873)

Part 5

10: Sins of the Sons and Daughters

11: Beyond Jim Crow

Part 6

12: Criticisms and Responses

13: A Program of Black

Reparations

Appendix 1: Reparations Coordinating Committee

Appendix 2: Horrors of Slavery

Appendix 3: Narratives of Emancipation

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Racism and discrimination have choked economic opportunity for African Americans at nearly every turn. At several historic moments, the trajectory of racial inequality could have been altered dramatically. 

Perhaps no moment was more opportune than the early days of Reconstruction, when the U.S. government temporarily implemented a major redistribution of land from former slaveholders to the newly emancipated enslaved. 

But neither Reconstruction nor the New Deal nor the civil rights struggle led to an economically just and fair nation. Today, systematic inequality persists in the form of housing discrimination, unequal education, police brutality, mass incarceration, employment discrimination, and massive wealth and opportunity gaps. Economic data indicates that for every dollar the average white household holds in wealth the average black household possesses a mere ten cents.

In From Here to Equality, William Darity Jr. and A. Kirsten Mullen confront these injustices head-on and make the most comprehensive case to date for economic reparations for U.S. descendants of slavery. 

After opening the book with a stark assessment of the intergenerational effects of white supremacy on black economic well-being, Darity and Mullen look to both the past and the present to measure the inequalities borne of slavery. 

Using innovative methods that link monetary values to historical wrongs, they next assess the literal and figurative costs of justice denied in the 155 years since the end of the Civil War. 

Finally, Darity and Mullen offer a detailed roadmap for an effective reparations program, including a substantial payment to each documented U.S. black descendant of slavery. 

Taken individually, any one of the three eras of injustice outlined by Darity and Mullen--slavery, Jim Crow, and modern-day discrimination--makes a powerful case for black reparations. Taken collectively, they are impossible to ignore.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

Essential to any debate over the need for and way to achieve meaningful large-scale reparations.--Kirkus Reviews

A worthwhile compendium on an extremely important topic.--Library Journal

A timely and vital contribution to national discussions about reparations. . . . [Darity and Mullen] force readers to confront how anti-Black racism has and continues to impede the financial well-being of African Americans and provide a blueprint for addressing these injustices.--Black Perspectives

This book underscores slavery's deleterious impact on descendants of America's four million enslaved persons emancipated in 1865. . . . [The authors] propose that Congress institute reparations for Black persons who can document that they had at least one enslaved ancestor in the US after the formation of the republic. . . . Part history, part economics, and part advocacy, this book will appeal to a broad readership.--CHOICE

Simply put: The best historical, conceptual, and empirical case for reparations for Black Americans.--Ibram X. Kendi

Review

Darity and Mullen present--with brilliant erudition--evidence that will catalyze the coming transformation of American moral values.--Eugene Richardson, MD, PhD, chair of the Lancet Commission on Reparations and Redistributive Justice

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About the Author

William A. Darity Jr. is the Samuel DuBois Cook Professor of Public Policy, African and African American Studies, and Economics at Duke University.

A. Kirsten Mullen is a writer, folklorist, museum consultant, and lecturer whose work focuses on race, art, history, and politics.

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Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of North Carolina Press (April 20, 2020)

Language ‏ : ‎ English

Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 424 pages

Customer Reviews: 4.8 out of 5 stars    549 ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

Ephron

5.0 out of 5 stars The blueprint for #ADOS reparations!

Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2020

Honestly one of the best accounts of ADOS (American Descendant of Slavery) history i have ever read. Its so well researched and informative while remaining a quick read. Something substantive included for seasoned scholars and those new to the reparations discussion. Should be implemented as supplemental public education material as part of the AKS curriculum across the nation and required reading for all public officials, especially congressional black caucus members. We have the means and the knowledge to correct the mistakes of the past, we only lake the political imagination and the will. This book helps to change that.

25 people found this helpful

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Emily Milosch

5.0 out of 5 stars Tremendous Case; Eventual Victory?

Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2020

If you're new to the reparations discussion, if you're well versed in reparations, this is an exemplary presentation of the argument for reparations for descendants of slavery and segregation that you'd do well to wrestle with.

I must concede that I used to be one of the Americans who argued:

1. I didn't enslave anyone, why should my tax dollars (or money after inflation) be spend to rectify something I had no commission in. It is incumbent on the ones who perpetrate the atrocity to remunerate it.

2. My family is Irish, we came as immigrants-- not only did I have no part in slavery, none of my family did either.

3. It is not feasible to give reparations because there is no heuristic we may use whereby we demarcate descendants of slavery from first/second generations African immigrants who have come to this country without impediments of slavery/Jim Crow.

Darity does an excellent job of tackling all of the aforementioned queries/objections. I did NOT want to change my views, but in the force of such evidence, the historical precedent in the US for giving reparations to other people groups, the atrocities that have adversely affected the African American community from competing equitably in our free market, and the need for the United States government to pay their debt owed to the AA community-- I was convinced! The question I continue to ask after reading this text-- how come reparations have not ALREADY been effectuated in America for descendants of slavery? It is truly perturbing. Seems like this is a logical, ethical, and American thing to do (confront sins of the past)... so why are we still not talking about this? How come no major players in the major political parties are pushing this?

From a former enemy of reparations-- for me moving forward, it is REPARATIONS NOW! They are desperately needed and beyond that, it is the moral thing to do.

Read less

20 people found this helpful

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Luis Monroy Gómez Franco

5.0 out of 5 stars Must read book for those interested in racial inequality in the US

Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2020

The book is a super recount of the story of racial inequality in the US since colonial times. Importantly, the book emphasizes how institutions were shaped to preserve said inequality, and how the political choices at each juncture prevented the implementation of changes that set the black population in equal terms with respect to the rest of the society. It also shows how that institutional path was not the only one available, and that political choices at different points are to blame for the present inequality

18 people found this helpful

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Robert Bain

5.0 out of 5 stars Thorough investigation and documentation

Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2020

This effort along with Professor Gerald Horne are fundamental to any meaningful discussion validating Reparations and should be required reading for any governmental body studying the systemic depth and breadth of unrighted wrongs against the Black community.

19 people found this helpful

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norm

3.0 out of 5 stars Important read but will it change minds?

Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2020

The first 11 chapters are very interesting and well worth reading. They remind us of the injustices that blacks have received throughout this country’s history. Though many were learned in grade school, it is worth a reminder and there were a number of topics I had never heard of before

I do not support reparations and the book did not alter my view. 

It is interesting that one of the most respected black politicians, President Obama, does not either and the author(s) dismiss his reasons for this. 

I found the Chapter on responding to arguments against reparations somewhat contrived. I have heard very few of these arguments made and question how many people hold these views e.g., blacks should be happy they were brought here in slavery rather than living in Africa.

I personally believe that reparations, as the author sets them up, is another form of welfare which many states have realized do nothing to lift people up. The author(s) also state early on that the reparations will not be a one-time deal if the behaviors that led to them continue. Who is to determine this? As a white person, I already feel like I walk on eggshells in today’s society, which all too readily throw racist or unconscious bias accusations around.

My bottom line is that I think the book is worth reading as a way to understand the author(s)’ and this point of view on the topic. I doubt it will change minds either way.

14 people found this helpful

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aws21st

5.0 out of 5 stars Important read for foundational black Americans

Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2020

This book is groundbreaking with historical content , with updated data , showing the importance of reparations to foundational black Americans.

The author totally reveals the systematic economic racism and the outstanding justice claim debt that the American government must pay , if African American descendants of slavery (#ADOS) are to be ever equal in America .

8 people found this helpful

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CharlesR

5.0 out of 5 stars An Essential for every political library

Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2020

I only recently (Aug 2019) became aware of “Sandy” Darity’s work through Antonio Moore and Yvette Carnell and the ADOS (American Descendants of Slavery) movement. So, when he announced the release of this publication I immediately secured my copy, bearing the now “not in stock” status. The argument for reparations for ADOS is not a new concept for me to grasp thanks to Antonio, Yvette, and Mr. Darity, but FHTE still, not surprisingly manages to be an enlightening read that’ll be the bedrock of my political identity for some time to come. William Darity is a cherished intellectual presence of this movement and he’s worked tirelessly for his people. Grab a copy or two or three. Give to family and friends. This is the political stance of tangibles that ADOS needs. Great work! Reparations Now!

7 people found this helpful

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From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the Twenty-First Century

by William A. Darity Jr., A. Kirsten Mullen

 4.43  ·   Rating details ·  272 ratings  ·  59 reviews

Racism and discrimination have choked economic opportunity for African Americans at nearly every turn. At several historic moments, the trajectory of racial inequality could have been altered dramatically. Perhaps no moment was more opportune than the early days of Reconstruction, when the U.S. government temporarily implemented a major redistribution of land from former s ...more

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 Average rating4.43  ·  Rating details ·  272 ratings  ·  59 reviews

Nick Jordan

Jun 26, 2020Nick Jordan rated it it was amazing

I can’t remember the name right now for our syndrome of reading our own history as something that had to unfold the way it did rather than as something we chose again and again, even though we could have chosen differently.

This book lays out 400 years of those choices we’ve made, and then it gets practical. I can’t remember a book I’ve read so simultaneously devastating and hopeful.

Reading it theologically, it also speaks powerfully to what justice, truth, reconciliation, peacemaking, and the possibility of forgiveness mean. Highly, highly recommended, if you couldn’t tell. (less)

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Val

Jul 09, 2020Val rated it really liked it

I initially rated this 3.5 stars but revised it to 4 stars after some time passed and I could assess it through the lens of other books. The reasons for 3.5 stars initially were not because the book is poorly-written, or not important in our day, or not convincing. The reasons are simple. Only the introduction and the last 3 chapters actually focus on the mechanics of reparations (how much, for how many, for how long, and who would qualify), and that was the intriguing content I wanted from the ...more

flag4 likes · Like  · 2 comments · see review

B Sarv

May 27, 2021B Sarv rated it it was amazing

Dr. Darity presents an excellent, well-documented and interestingly written summary of United States history as it relates to African Americans - which in reality is how that history relates to white Americans. The two are inextricably linked and this link is made quite clear in this book. This book is not the first I have read on reparations, but I do consider it essential to an overall understanding of the movement. The history, the records and the data are all out there - and the amount of information is growing as more researchers dig deeper into the historical abuse of Black Americans.

At this point, ignorance of the truth only persists for two reasons: 

1) because adult victims of the white supremacist brainwashing education affirmatively chose not to learn about the real dark, sordid and horrible history of their country, and 

2) because people who make decisions about what students learn in school continue to willfully keep the students undereducated. 

These realities persist because calling upon white Americans to recognize and acknowledge this is to ask them to acknowledge a different kind of exceptionalism. The exceptional levels of kidnapping, murder, separating of children from parents, rape, torture, sadism, laziness, exploitation and systemic continuation of these abuses in many forms after the enslaved were emancipated - up to and including today. For every effort to turn back the horror story new forms of abuse were invented. The record is there for everyone to read. As Dr. Darity says, “A central theme of From Here to Equality is the sustained American failure to recognize the pernicious impact of white supremacy and the sustained American failure to adopt national policies that reverse the effects of white supremacy. 

At each point that the nation stood at a critical crossroads with respect to its racial future, it chose the wrong fork.” (page 10). He does an outstanding job of supporting the central theme of his work.

So, what do I know about United States History? Well I thought I knew, until I began really to read the books that no history class would have shown me. Well documented sources of the historical horror story that is the history of treatment of enslaved Africans and their descendants. It is impossible to really understand the pain one feels upon reflecting on this history - more so for the descendants of the victims of this history throughout the “Americas.” (see also Reparations for Slavery and the Slave Trade: A Transnational and Comparative History by Ana Lucia Araujo)

There are so many different lessons that come from Dr. Darity’s book. I will focus on one aspect and three examples. 

My focus will be on military history in the United States that is hidden from the History curriculum. I know it is hidden, because if it was not I wouldn’t have had to wait for Dr. Darity’s book to learn about it. 

First, I found out an astonishing fact about the American Revolution: white American’s tale of heroism. I sincerely doubt the following facts are even taught in the vast majority of today’s history classes: “At least 25 percent of the New England regiments were black. For two months—March to May 1775—free and enslaved blacks eagerly were recruited to serve in the war effort; however, fear of eventual slave revolts and concerns that the slaves who had fought for the country’s freedom would demand that they, too, be freed led their owners to push to make slaves ineligible for military service.” (page 103) Hiding this fact from students in the United States allows the existing power structure to perpetuate the myth that Black Americans sat idly by while white people did all the fighting.

It wasn’t until I read W.E.B. DuBois “Black Reconstruction in America: An Essay Toward a History of the Part Which Black Folk Played in the Attempt to Reconstruct Democracy in America,” that I understood the Reconstruction Era. 

It is an amazing historical account which I strongly recommend. Prof. Darity’s work reveals much about this era as well, but in line with some of what Prof. DuBois wrote about, Prof. Darity’s book also discusses Black American fighting in the American Civil War. 

He explains that, “Indeed, by 1863, in the aftermath of the Emancipation Proclamation, white northerners’ reluctance to serve in the war effort had become so pronounced that the black military contribution was essential to the Union’s survival. About 180,000 black soldiers participated in the U.S. Army—10 percent of all the soldiers who served the Union—during the Civil War. Approximately one-third of them lost their lives. Black determination in the pursuit of black freedom exacted a great toll. The termination of slavery was a consequence of great acts of sacrifice on the parts of black and white Americans. It was not simply a “gift” that white America bequeathed to black America.” (page 309). To me the key here is “essential to the Union’s survival.” Well in the first place, left to my High School and University textbooks I never would have known that any Black Americans served the Union cause - let alone to the extent which they did. Not until I saw the movie “Glory” was I aware that any had. The numbers, relative to the population of Black Americans at the time, show that their determination was the greatest, and the determining factor in the war. The myth that the “gift” was freedom given at no cost is smashed completely in this book.

In the aftermath of World War II, the United States passed the GI Bill - designed to help returning soldiers upon their return after the war. Except it was only implemented to benefit certain soldiers. I knew about the GI Bill, but my history teachers left out the sordid aspects of its unjust application. In spite of their service and sacrifice: “Perhaps most surprising and most important, the treatment of veterans after the war, despite the universal eligibility for the benefits offered by the GI Bill (supposed to give assistance to all returning soldiers, regardless of color), perpetuated the blatant racism that had marked the affairs of a still-segregated military service during the war itself. 

Southern members of Congress used occupational exclusions and took advantage of American federalism (the “state rights” principle) to ensure that their region’s racial order would not be disturbed by national policies. Benefits for veterans were administered locally and the GI Bill was adapted to “the southern way of life” by accommodating to segregation in higher education, to the job ceilings local officials imposed on returning black soldiers who came home from a segregated army, and to an unwillingness to offer loans to blacks even when they were insured by the federal government. Of the 3,229 GI Bill–guaranteed home, business, and farm loans made in 1947 in Mississippi, for example, only two were offered to black veterans.” (page 310). So my history lessons continue. For a much more detailed treatment of this tragedy I strongly recommend The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein. What Dr. Darity does, that Rothstein does not, is to set forth the economic argument for why this is yet another justifiable basis for Black Americans to be paid reparations.

One of the principal benefits of the book is the way the final chapter of the book lays out numerous alternatives for how reparations can be accomplished. Of all the books I have read on the subject I think he provides the most detailed account of the options, different approaches and the best means for accomplishing this in the United States. 

Critical to the success of any of these proposals Dr. Darity admits the need for a paradigm shift in the United States - the people need to change to a perspective of agreeing this is a just result. A paradigm shift occurs only when people are presented with overwhelming evidence. This is why the education system in the United States needs to teach the real history. Until then, there is unlikely to be a shift.

As a testament to the resilience of Black Americans, remember this: “The Civil War of 1861–65 ended slavery. It left us free, but it also left us homeless, penniless, ignorant, nameless and friendless. . . . Russia’s liberated serf was given three acres of land and agricultural implements with which to begin his career of liberty and independence. But to us no foot of land nor implement was given. We were turned loose to starvation, destitution and death. So desperate was our condition that some of our statesmen declared it useless to try to save us by legislation as we were doomed to extinction”.—Ida B. Wells, “Class Legislation,” 1893 (page 16) In spite of the prophecies of doom at the time, here we are and Black Americans

 are surviving and thriving. The circumstances are still adverse. Only reparations will begin to bring justice.

“The message of the Black Lives Matter movement encapsulates the racialized injuries of the 150 years since the end of legal American slavery. The movement’s message alerts us to the many ways in which black life has been devalued and unprotected so thoroughly in the United States.” (page 276)

Please read this book. Start the paradigm shift.

For further reading, in addition to those mentioned above, I recommend the following:

• Britain’s Black Debt: : Reparations for Caribbean Slavery and Native Genocide By Prof. Sir Hilary Beckles
• The Possessive Investment in Whiteness: How White People Profit from Identity Politics by George Lipsitz
• White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide by Carol Anderson
• Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentaiton on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present by Harriet A. Washington.
• One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression is Destroying our Democracy by Carol Anderson
• Buried in the Bitter Waters: The Hidden History of Racial Cleansing in America by Elliot Jaspin

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Garrett

Aug 13, 2020Garrett rated it it was amazing  ·  review of another edition

This is not only the best researched and focused history of racism I've ever read, but more importantly it's a compelling and absolutely engaging argument for reparations. This book approaches the subject by looking not only at anecdotal evidence of racism in America, but also examines statistical data that makes any argument in opposition to reparations difficult to sustain. These authors anticipate all the major arguments against reparation and answer them with clear and well-reasoned rebuttals. 

The best part of this is the final chapter in which they lay out a clear, feasible plan for achieving reparations today, with thorough calculations of inflation and interest for the wealth inherited by plantation families, as well as calculations of what would amount to "40 acres and a mule" today. 

In all honesty, this book deserves the Nobel Prize. It really does what no previous study, to my knowledge, has done with the subject. The case they make leaves it difficult to continue to ignore and postpone reparations for descendants of enslaved African Americans. (less)

 

Luis

Jun 27, 2020Luis rated it it was amazing  ·  review of another edition

Must read book for those interested in racial inequality in the US

The book is a super recount of the story of racial inequality in the US since colonial times. Importantly, the book emphasizes how institutions were shaped to preserve said inequality, and how the political choices at each juncture prevented the implementation of changes that set the black population in equal terms with respect to the rest of the society. It also shows how that institutional path was not the only one available, and that political choices at different points are to blame for the present inequality (less)

 

Suzyharris

Oct 03, 2020Suzyharris rated it really liked it

Thoroughly researched and quite detailed history especially of white terrorism during Reconstruction and beyond. Only the last two chapters were specifically focused on reparations - one on overcoming objections and the other on various models for calculating an amount and particulars about administration. (The administration proposal did not sit well with me, but I'm sure there are other ways to implement this without creating a huge bureaucracy.)

My biggest take-away: 

all the times we could have made the right decisions early on but didn't. And deferment of a debt owed does not eliminate the debt. Sobering and also hopeful. The first recommendation is to support SB 40, to establish a national commission to study reparations (with an 18 month timeline). (less)

 

Nick Klagge

Nov 01, 2020Nick Klagge added it

I reviewed this book alongside Wilkerson's book _Caste_:

https://www.klagge.net/post/2020-10-2... (less)

flag1 like · Like  · 1 comment · see review

Michele

Jan 21, 2021Michele rated it it was amazing

Shelves: non-fiction, racism

A necessary read.

I used 3 colors of pen and a highlighter.

made notes in the margins.

Attended a Zoom discussion group.

Sought out other articles re: reparations.

It was more about laying detailed case for reparations vs a how-to/what they should look like. Heavily footnoted.

 

James

Jul 17, 2020James rated it it was amazing

Comprehensive in terms of making the case for reparations; could have used more on implementation and moving forward.

I didn't need to be sold on the idea of reparations - The West Wing did that when I was in college - but I still appreciate the massive undertaking of gathering data to demonstrate that to others.

The book is divided into easy to mange parts and chapters, much of which focuses on African-American history in the US, primarily before about 1900. The parts about the Civil War were especially of interest because of the different perspective. I never knew that the US government had offered to purchase slaves from Southern slaveholders.

The FAQ section will likely be very useful for readers who are challenged about the concept or need for reparations. The questions and answers are thought provoking and based squarely in facts and data.

I found it slightly awkward that the authors don't really acknowledge mixed race people (those identifying as biracial) in their recommendations for moving forward. If a person of mixed heritage (slave and free/white) identifies as biracial or a similar term, then they don't deserve access to reparations, but if they identify as black, they do? Curious.

I wish more of the book had covered how to do reparations, although I found the calculations for the costs (and how to pay) instructive and in many ways reassuring in that reparations would not harm the economy if implemented correctly. The authors are very cautious and measured here.

Some parts were repetitive, but the readability of the book is very good, especially for a book from an academic press.

Overall, highly recommended, no matter where the reader is coming from in terms of their opinion on reparations. This books helps bring the conversation into current times.

(less)

 

Claire

May 25, 2021Claire rated it liked it

Parts 1, 2, and 6 were thought-provoking and powerful. These sections constitute excellent contributions to the topic, and I will likely draw on them as I plan lessons. The middle was repetitive, disorganized, and unfocused, to the point that I found it extremely frustrating to read. 

It didn't add much to the argument and would've made more of an impact had it been condensed into a chapter or two that was tightly focused on building a case for reparations. It was also a marked divergence from the rest of the book, as the rest of the book does a good job of marshaling historical evidence to make its economic points. 

The middle segments, however, read more like something that seems to want to be a historical summary of the mid- to late 1800s, but the authors aren't historians by training, and it shows. Having expert authors write from a disciplinary perspective that is absolutely not their own was an odd choice, especially for an academic book. There were also a few subtle digs at other minority groups that, whether intentional or not, were particularly glaring, jarring, and upsetting given the topic of this book. 

Bottom line-- this book costs only about $30, so if you're new to the topic, you'd probably get your money's worth out of Parts 1, 2, and 6 (Part 6 is particularly innovative and does an excellent job of crystallizing the key arguments in favor of reparations). Just skip the middle and read Ta-Nehisi Coates' "The Case for Reparations" instead. 2 stars if you already know a bunch about reparations and racial injustice in the US; 

3.5-4 stars if you don't. (less)

 

TYLER VANHUYSE

Aug 30, 2020TYLER VANHUYSE rated it liked it

3.5 stars

Darity and Mullen provide in abundance historical accounts of slavery from its origins all the way through to its long-lasting and pervasive effects today. They give countless examples of unfulfilled promises during the reconstruction period following the civil war and trace the punitive effects of racist policies that proliferated after that time. They discuss each and every failure of the US government to address systemic racism to a degree I had never seen in a book discussing the issue.

They do all of this and seem to spare no detail, which was at once a powerful part of the book but also the part that made its focus slightly scattered and elusive. In addition, the scholarly writing can be a bit inaccessible or downright confusing at times.

Overall, they provide historical context and thoughtful content that is imperative, and likely prescient, for the developing discussion of reparations today. If you have an interest in equality, you should certainly read this book and heed their informed discussion on reparations as a legitimate and practicable policy; however, without a scholarly/academic background, the points may prove a bit inaccessible at times. (less)

 

Michael

Jul 15, 2020Michael rated it it was amazing  ·  review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, audiobook, politics, 2020, sociology, race

The history and ideas and rigor of this book are amazing and clear and well argued. I think I should probably go back and get the actual book rather than just listening. Overall this is a really important work.

Two small nits:

- the organization of the book is neither strictly chronological nor strictly conceptual, and so there's a lot of backward and forward referencing and some repetition.

- the whole point of the book is that reparations are due, not only because of slavery but also because of continuing violence and disparates of access. And then all of a sudden (if I understood the proposal correctly), the basis of the reparations payments would be 1860 / slavery and the eligible people would be only the descendants of slaves.

Overall the concrete proposal seems mostly reasonable and maybe we'll see some progress on it. I do wish there had been more exploration of the specifically political project of reparations (i.e. how to convince politicians and the public especially in areas with few blacks) (less)

 

J.D.

Jul 28, 2020J.D. rated it really liked it

This book is not as much what I thought and hoped it would be. At first, this is certainly a scholarly work and so much of it was spent building the case on why reparations. When it finally got to the plan around how to do reparations, there was just a chapter. I had hoped a lot more would have been spent explaining the best way to roll out a plan and envisioning a future where the benefits of it would be explained. I wanted to start with the idea of yes let’s do reparations and now how best to in order to have the greatest impact to create new systems of wealth that can last generations.

That said I still give this four stars because the misunderstanding was likely my own. While I still hope to find a book that aligns more with my expectations, the way this book was laid out did an amazing job to truly highlight the injustices, the times where it seemed something was possible and going to be improved, how it didn’t and was made worse during Jim Crow and ultimately why we shouldn’t lose sight of righting the wrongs of our country’s actions. (less)

 

Bridget Jensen

Aug 01, 2020Bridget Jensen rated it really liked it

Too bad Ta-Nehisi Coates already used the title "The Case for Reparations" for his 2014 article in The Atlantic since that would be a better title for the book since most of it is a look back at how Blacks in America were not only used to build the wealth of White Americans during the eras of slavery and Jim Crow but have had their efforts to build wealth thwarted even in more recent times. Only the last couple of chapters talk about what reparations might actually look like. By then, the argument for reparations gets a little repetitive, emphasizing that it is not just slavery that needs to be accounted for, but also the injustices of "American apartheid (Jim Crow), and the combined effects of present-day discrimination and the ongoing deprecation of black lives."

The book is heavily noted, which demonstrates the depth of research and allows the reader to delve into details, though this can also bog down the reading. Yet, it is precisely the book's specifics of history that puts flesh on the bone for making the case for reparations. (less)

 

A W

Sep 02, 2020A W rated it it was amazing

Darity and Mullen offer such an incredible look into America’s history. While this book is a roadmap to reparations for American Descendants of Slavery (and many other atrocities), the vast majority of the book meticulously documents horror after horror to make the case. Hard at times to even imagine that all of this was taking place in the ‘land of the free,’ but it is simply the truth. It is a miracle that some families have managed to get where they are despite the plunder and downright evil of so many in this country that stood against them. I wish I could reach out and hug the men whose corpses we see in the lynching photos. Hug them and tell them that they are special, loved and worth it — also to tell them we will never stop fighting for real justice because it is very clear that the country owes reparations to the descendants of slavery, Jim Crow, convict leasing, state sanctioned lynchings etc etc. So much of where ADOS are now is a result of being locked out of capitalism and the American economy until very recently in generational terms. (less)

 

Dustin DuFort Petty

Apr 15, 2021Dustin DuFort Petty rated it it was amazing

So well researched, the authors document nearly every instance of systemic bias and injustice that has forced generations of Black Americans to exist in a “separate and unenviable” version of America. Slavery, Jim Crow, redlining, violent policing, government policies of social support that Blacks were denied access to, educational institutions that refused admission, etc. ⁣

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The authors also provide chapters addressing frequently used arguments against reparations and what reparations would actually look like. We must acknowledge these injustices and do the damn work to offer redress that is centuries too late. ⁣

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“𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦 --𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘰𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴, 𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵.” — 𝘛𝘢-𝘕𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘪 𝘊𝘰𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 (less)
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