On Reparations

1. Should America Pay: Slavery and the Raging Debate on Reparations – edited by Raymond Winbush

Although this book was published 20 years ago (2003), it is still one of the most comprehensive books on the subject of reparations. It contains important information on the development of the reparations movement, arguments for and against Black reparations, and key historical documents pertaining to our reparations movement.

2. From Here To Equality: Reparations For Black Americans In The Twenty-First Century – William Darity and Kirsten Mullen

The book provides an excellent summary of the historical oppression that now requires reparations to repair. The book also includes a plan for how reparations might be paid, who should be eligible, and calculations of the cost of reparations. Note that the authors are not fans of local reparations efforts. They believe that the federal government is solely responsible for the debt owed. They also focus only on closing the wealth gap as the reason for reparations.

3. Reparations On Fire: How And Why It’s Spreading Across America – Nkechi Taifa

Published last year, this book is an excellent summation of the present-day reparations movement as told by one of the leading activists in the movement. It covers the current movement at the levels of the federal government, state and local government initiatives, universities, corporations and religious initiatives, and the international movement for reparations.

4. The Debt: What America Owes to Blacks – Randall Robinson

This book, published in 2000, is one of the early references used by the modern reparations movement. It takes an historical approach in stating the case for reparations. It includes an intriguing chapter on the psychological damage done to Black people over the centuries.

5. My Face Is Black Is True: Callie House and the Struggle For Ex-Slave Reparations – Mary Frances Berry

This is the story of the first major organized movement for reparations in this country and the remarkable woman who led it. Callie House is not well known in history but her movement is an essential part of the history of the reparations movement.

Related References

1. The Black Tax: The Cost of Being Black In America – Shawn Rochester

This book contains a wealth of data on the financial cost of our oppression from the period of enslavement up until the present time. An excellent presentation on how the racial wealth gap was created.

2. The Color Of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America – Richard Rothstein

Although this book focuses on the governmental origins of housing discrimination, it highlights the loss of generational wealth that resulted from those thoroughly racist policies.

3. The Hidden Cost of Being African American: How Wealth Perpetuates Inequality – Thomas Shapiro

This book demonstrates how the use of household wealth has historically advantaged white people and how Blacks are at a distinct disadvantage due to a lack of family assets. Explores how this plays out in the areas of home ownership and educational opportunity. More help on understanding the origins of the racial wealth gap.

Kansas City References

1. Race, Real Estate, and Uneven Development: The Kansas City Experience, 1900-2010 – Kevin Fox Gotham

This book is an excellent summary of racism in real estate practices in Kansas City and the resulting uneven economic development between the races. Discusses the important role of Kansas City’s own J.C. Nichols.

2. A City Divided: The Racial Landscape of Kansas City, 1900-1960 – Sherry Lamb Schirmer

This book discusses how historical racial perceptions of whites toward Blacks shaped race relations in Kansas City’s history. The book demonstrates how those perceptions bled into city government policy and seriously disadvantaged the Black community.

3. Racism In Kansas City: A Short History – Garrett Griffin

This book is pretty much what the title states – a brief history of racism in Kansas City in several spheres – education, criminal justice, social relations, etc.

Reparations Organizations

1. National Coalition of Blacks For Reparations in America (NCOBRA)

NCOBRA is a leading legacy organization in the reparations movement. Their website always contains a wealth of useful information.

2. National African American Reparations Commission (NAARC)

A more recent formation, it’s website is also a treasure trove of important information on the reparations movement in the US and Caribbean.