Liberation Ventures

Great news! The Palm Springs City Council has unanimously approved a $5.9 million settlement with the Black and Latino families whose homes were razed and burned in a brutal urban renewal project in the 1950s and 1960s. “The settlement package includes compensation based on the current value of personal property lost by verified former Section 14 residents and their families. The council also approved funding broader programs intended to address long-standing economic disparities in the desert city, including $20 million for housing initiatives and $1 million for local business initiatives for marginalized communities. The programs are intended for the entire Palm Springs community, but the city said it would target outreach to Section 14 families.” This is a major win for the Palm Spring Section 14 Survivors who were evicted from their homes and had yet to receive any compensation for this wrongdoing. This is a beginning. https://lnkd.in/gVt8NHcM

The last couple of months we’ve been trying something new on our social media channels. We’ve adopted the hashtag #LVxMP to highlight the brilliant work of our movement partners. This is our effort to digitally consolidate their work. It also makes it easier for you to stay on top of what’s happening in the movement. Tell us, what would you like to learn about the reparations movement? Drop some responses below.

From December 4-6, in Evanston, IL, FirstRepair is holding the National Symposium for State and Local Reparations and you’re invited. This year’s Symposium theme is “Solutions Only,” focusing on creating actionable plans to make reparations both common sense and commonplace. The Symposium brings together leading voices of movement leaders, community organizers, educators, legal professionals, policy makers, activists, research, and others across the country who are dedicated to implementing reparations on both state and local levels. And joining as one of the speakers is renowned author, academic, and researcher, Dr. Joy DeGruy best known for her groundbreaking book “Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome”. Don’t miss out. https://lnkd.in/gpDxjxzj

Rest in power Grant Ujifusa, a citizen lobbyist who pressed President Ronald Reagan to reverse course and sign a bill offering cash and an apology to Japanese Americans imprisoned during World War II. Ujifusa recently died at the age of 82. Mr. Ujifusa had been a founding editor of The Almanac of American Politics, an insiders’ guide to the districts, voting records and personalities of every member of Congress. In meetings with members of Congress, he let it be known that anyone who did not support repair for Japanese internment risked a bad write-up in the next edition of the Almanac. In 1987, after nearly a decade of effort, a bill passed the House with a bipartisan majority that offered a formal apology and $20,000 to each survivor of the internment camps. In August 1988, President Reagan signed the reparations bill, known as the Civil Liberties Act, which said that the reparations were justified to “discourage the occurrence of similar injustices and violations of civil liberties in the future.” We honor Grant Ujifusa’s life, and his work shows us that reparations are possible. https://lnkd.in/g_pGg6cm

At the start of the month, Black Veterans Project hosted its inaugural Equity Reception in Washington, D.C., at the Wolly Mammoth Theater. The evening’s panel featured Jimmy Anderson, Julia Metcalf, Claradith E. Landry, and Sonia Kumar (ACLU of Maryland) who joined BVP CEO Richard Brookshire for an in-depth dialogue about current threats to racial justice and diversity, equity, and inclusion across the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs and the path forward. Congrats on the first of many powerful Equity Receptions! #LVxMP

The reparations movement has a lot to teach us about hope in our darkest days. It is a movement older than emancipation; Black people were suing and petitioning for redress even before the Civil War, and the movement has maintained hope and action even as it was relegated to the margins for over 100 years. We will move through this, together, as we have for the last 400 years. And when we do – whether it is in 4 years, or in 40 – we will need a culture of repair.

The numbers don't lie. The wealth gap between white and Black Americans has only decreased by 14% since 1870. Currently, the average Black family has $16 for every $100 a white family has. During the early 1900s “Black populations hit a wealth ceiling. Among the causes were racist policy preventing Black home ownership, frequent land theft and destruction, rejection by banks and creditors, and lack of access to quality jobs.” - Where Is My Land Even after the Civil Rights Movement, Black families saw declines in economic growth since 1980. All of this is to say, the present can’t be fixed without correcting the wrongs of the past. Thanks Where Is My Land for sharing this powerful data. Visit their page to learn more facts like these that deepen our understanding of #reparations. #LVxMP

Virginia made history as the first southern state to legalize marijuana, and our movement partner, Marijuana Justice, played a huge role in this milestone! This victory is the result of years of dedicated advocacy, pushing for racial equity and justice in cannabis laws. But the work isn’t done yet. Marijuana Justice is still fighting for fair policies that uplift our communities and ensure everyone benefits from this progress. Visit marijuanajustice.org to learn more. #LVxMP

Since 2021, Georgia's SB 202 — also known as the Election Integrity Act — has made it illegal in Georgia for anyone to hand a hot or thirsty person a bottle of water while standing in line to vote. In response, Get Free decided to defy this ban and deliver water to voters in line at the polls. “It is so visibly dehumanizing to actually criminalize such an act of humanity and dignity. It really exemplifies the broader inhumanity and inequality of all these voter laws that are happening. It’s not just about not being able to hand out water. Many of the most insidious components of these anti-voter laws are deep in the bureaucracy and Jim Crow. So, we’re using it to shine a light on what is dehumanizing about these laws.” - Nicole Carty, Executive Director, Get Free #LVxMP https://lnkd.in/gXY_qpeV

On the topic of Black reparations there exists a crucial segment of the population that remains persuadable – those who acknowledge the lasting impact of slavery on Black people today but remain unconvinced that a debt is owed or that reparations are the solution. Roughly 27% of Americans fall into this category. These individuals are not outright opponents of reparations; rather, they sit on the fence, either neutral or leaning slightly against the idea. Understanding and engaging with this group could be the key to transforming the reparations movement from a divisive issue into one with broader, more robust support. To bring debt-persuadables into the fold, advocates must directly address the concerns that underpin their resistance. One way to alleviate the sense of unfairness is to frame reparations for Black Americans as part of a broader commitment to redress harm for all groups who have suffered historical injustices. The debt-persuadables represent a unique and vital target for the reparations movement. They already recognize the harm; now, they must be persuaded that repair is both necessary and just. By addressing their concerns directly and making a compelling case for why reparations are a matter of fairness, not unfairness, we can bring this group closer to supporting a cause that is essential to healing the wounds of our nation’s past. #reparations https://lnkd.in/gyigaVbz