Reparations Now!

This discussion will explore why and how reparations should and can be paid to Black communities affected by legacies of systemic oppression, such as slavery and racial violence, in the United States. The conversation will focus deeply on the urgency of reparations and how we all can be a part of this important restorative process. Topics will include the past and present economic implications of slavery and racial violence on Black people in the U.S., among other issues.

Discussion will be between Dr. David Fakunle, Chair of the Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and Ms. Maxine Gross, Chair of Lakeland Heritage Project.

The Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission was established by House Bill 307. The Commission is authorized to research cases of racially motivated lynchings and hold public meetings and regional hearings where a lynching of an African American by a white mob has been documented.

As the Chair of the Lakeland Heritage Project, Maxine Gross also serves as a member of the College Park City Council’s Restorative Justice Steering Committee. The Committee is in the process of helping Black residents who were harmed by urban renewal tell their stories and will figure out the best way to compensate them for those harms.

Sign Language interpreters will be present at this event.