During its third meeting, California’s Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans looked at reasons formerly enslaved Black people migrated to the Golden State -- and detailed setbacks they faced after arriving. During the period historians dub the “Great Migration”– which lasted from the early 1900s through the 1970s – approximately six million Black Americans relocated from Deep South states to Northern, Midwestern, Eastern and Western states. Significant numbers ended up in California, escaping Jim Crow laws and racial violence and seeking economic opportunity. ... read more »

April Grayson, a policy associate for the Young Women’s Freedom Center and a formerly incarcerated Black woman, who spent 17 years behind bars, said she can’t wait to see the day when the language in Article 1, Section 6 of California’s Constitution is off the books. ... read more »

  These conversations about resurgent racism bring to mind the Greek mythological many-headed snake-like monster that, if you cut off one of its heads, would grow back two more in its place. And only the god-like superhero, Hercules, could kill it. But racism is real, not a myth, in spite of fervent and faithful denials by its most devout, delusional and passionate practitioners. ... read more »

A French activist for Black rights went on trial in Paris on Monday for defacing a statue of a historical figure from France's colonial, slave-trading past, calling the protest a political act to denounce deep-seated racism. ... read more »

The nonprofit legal organization committed to exonerating wrongly convicted individuals also noted that Black people are more likely to be wrongly convicted of murder when the victim is White. Among Black people exonerated of murder convictions, approximately 31 percent were wrongly convicted of killing White people. However, only 15 percent of homicides by Black people involve White victims, the National Registry of Exonerations reported. ... read more »

“The impact of slavery and its vestiges continues to affect African Americans and indeed all Americans in communities throughout our nation,” Jackson Lee remarked. “This legislation is intended to examine the institution of slavery in the colonies and the United States from 1619 to the present, and further recommend appropriate remedies. Since the initial introduction of this legislation, its proponents have made substantial progress in elevating the discussion of reparations and reparatory justice at the national level and joining the mainstream international debate on the issues.” ... read more »

California's process for imposing the death penalty ``is now, and always has been, infected by racism,'' Gov. Gavin Newsom declared Monday in a brief filed with the state Supreme Court. ... read more »

Enslaved is a six-episode docuseries that explores 400 years of human trafficking from Africa to the New World by following the efforts of Diving with a Purpose, as they search for and locate six slave ships that went down with their human cargo. Executive produced and featuring award-winning actor Samuel L. Jackson, the series tracks the efforts of divers as they utilize new methods of underwater archaeology to identify and locate these sunken slave ships for the first time in history. These modern day adventures serve as a springboard to tell the stories of the ideology, economics and politics of slavery, while also celebrating stories of resistance, the cultures left behind and the culture that we live in.  ... read more »

Wendy's Window ... read more »

Born into slavery in Lexington, Virginia, in 1829, Cook became the first descendant of a Thomas Jefferson Monticello slave known to have graduated from college. In 1880, she graduated from Storer College in West Virginia before becoming a teacher. ... read more »

Census 2020 could be the most important and inclusive civic activity our country has ever experienced, covering every person in the United States of America.  Our constitution requires an accurate recording of the nation's population every ten years.  It is a centerpiece of our democracy that must honor its diversity and inclusivity in the process. ... read more »

“Gold Chains: The Hidden History of Slavery in California” includes 14 essays, one video and three audio stories that present the experiences of African Americans and Native Californians during the 1800s. ... read more »

"The Seminary's ties to slavery are a part of our story," Barnes stated. "It is important to acknowledge that our founders were entangled with slavery and could not envision a fully integrated society. We did not want to shy away from the uncomfortable part of our history and the difficult conversations that revealing the truth would produce." ... read more »

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  On Tuesday, September 10, 2019 the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) led by Congresswoman Karen Bass, Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, hosted a congressional ceremony in commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the first-recorded forced arrival of enslaved African people. ... read more »

After decades of relentless political indifference, reparations for slavery have finally arrived at the forefront of national American politics. Practically every 2020 Democratic presidential candidate has embraced the concept to some degree. Many of them attended Al Sharpton’s National Action Network convention in April and promised to sign H.R. 40 if elected president. However, many Black Americans remain concerned as to how substantial the candidates’ plans for reparations truly are. Are candidates making reparations a real priority, or has the term merely become the latest buzzword, guaranteed to garner applause on a debate stage? ... read more »