Revisiting the Topic of Reparations for African Americans or ADOS (American Descendants of Slaves)

In recognition of the 4th of July or Independence Day in the United States, the Institutional Diversity Blog revisits the topic of reparations for African American or American Descendants of Slaves (ADOS).  Ta-Nehisi Coates’ article in The Atlantic June 2014 issue, “The Case for Reparations,” changed the game and the conversation of reparations for African Americans.  Instead of it being a Dave Chappelle joke, according to Coates, it’s no longer a laughing matter.  Given the theft and extraction of wealth the country has subjected African Americans to for decades, it’s time for a serious study, albeit policy, of the debt owed to determine the way to make things RIGHT.  Now that our humanity has been seen through the death of George Floyd by the hands of police, reconciliation doesn’t end with removing statues, changing flags and renaming of Ivy league universities. The country needs to go all the way.

In this engaging 2019 New Yorker Magazine interview, five years after “The Case for Reparations” was published, Coates revisits the topic and speaks to possibilities for the future.

Matthew Green III, wrote a response to Coates’ article in 2014 prior to Independence Day for our blog; Reading it today, his words still ring true and I believe will encourage you to reflect deeper and further, given what we are facing now in 2020.

Enjoy.
Dr. Denise O’Neil Green

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