Author: Reggie Jackson

Reparations 101: Repairing the damage from generations of concentrated disadvantage

“At long last, let America contemplate the scope of its enduring human-rights wrong against a whole people. Let the vision of blacks not become so blighted from a sunless eternity that we fail to see the staggering breadth of America’s crime against us. Solutions must be tailored to the scope of the crime in a way that would make the victim whole. In this case, the psychic and economic injury is enormous, multidimensional and long-running. Thus must be America’s restitution to blacks for the damage done.” – Randal Robinson, “The Debt: What America Owes to Blacks” (2000) “As a...

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Stop using White discomfort to silence the truth: An open letter to Brett Favre and Tommy Tubberville

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” – First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution Lately certain individuals have taken advantage of their First Amendment rights to tell others they should ignore their rights and hold their tongues. One of these, is former Green Bay Packer quarterback Brett Favre. Another of is former college football coach and current Alabama Republican Senator Tommy...

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A message to White men who fear talking about race and racism

Let me begin by saying this to you. I’m told that you are afraid to talk about race and racism. I’m told that you feel blamed too much in these conversations. I’m told that you fear being called racist in these spaces. I’m told that you are guilted too much in this space. And, I’m told that you feel you are not included in “diversity” conversations. I hear a lot from other people on a second or third hand level, but I rarely hear your own perspectives. I would love you to understand clearly that you are not a...

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Arguments over the 1619 Project show an institutional denial about the lived experiences of Black people

“We are a people who formerly were Africans who were kidnaped and brought to America. Our forefathers weren’t the Pilgrims. We didn’t land on Plymouth Rock; the rock was landed on us. We were brought here against our will; we were not brought here to be made citizens.” – Malcolm X When the New York Times Magazine launched the 1619 Project, Black people across America shouted, “it’s about time.” We have been waiting for 401 years for the truth of the enslavement of our ancestors to be told on a national scale. Nicole Hannah-Jones, won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize...

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The significance of the Derek Chauvin verdict: I am not celebrating this as a sign of police reform

The much anticipated trial is finally over. People around the country are breathing a sigh of relief. Derek Chauvin was found guilty on all charges. Some will say the system finally worked. Some will proclaim this a victory in the effort to hold police accountable. Some will make the claim that we as a Balck community should rejoice. I’m not one of them. The verdict does not bring George Floyd back. This verdict does not bring Daunte Wright back. This verdict is not an indictment of the system of policing. It is simply a case of an officer who...

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And another one gone: What Daunte Wright’s shooting teaches us about reform efforts

“My heart is literally broken into a thousand pieces and I don’t know what to do or what to say. But I just need everybody to know that he is much more than this.” – Daunte Wright’s mother, Katie Wright During the most anticipated trial of police arguably since the Rodney King case in 1992, 20-year-old Daunte Wright was shot and killed by an experienced police officer in the Minneapolis area. As a result, the trial of Derek Chauvin lost its front page status, as protests continued in Brooklyn City, Minnesota – just north of Minneapolis, where the death...

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