BlackEconomics.org®
Black Americans, who believe that Repara-tions are due, know that there are numerous efforts afoot to secure Reparations in one form or another. Presumably, we can agree that a more unified strategy should enable us to experience more success in wresting Reparations from the prevailing system of things. This brief essay will provide an idea for forging more Black American unity around Reparations and propose an important thrust designed to kickstart the Reparations process and push us closer to successfully securing Reparations. Hopefully, it will not be “just another idea” because we all know that “hope is no strategy.”
As a first plain and simple starting point, Black Americans need an overarching and unified plan to achieve Reparations. The old saying, “if you don’t know where you are going, then any road will get your there” is apropos for ongoing efforts to obtain Black American Reparations. Somebodies at the top of Reparations commissions, committees, and efforts should stop and figure out how to formulate, and ensure broad support for, an overarching and unified Reparations plan.
A critical second point is that we believe the claim of the people (Black Americans) now holding the official international designation of “Afrodescendants” (African descendants of persons held in servitude) concerning the United States (US) Government’s violations and crimes against us and our ancestors will be paid only when we commit to fighting to obtain Reparations. The US Government must be convinced that Black Americans will fight for the Reparations owed and past due.
To convey a third very important point, let us first roll back history and then roll it forward.
Rolling it back, the late Hon. Rep. John Conyers (Dem-MI) resolved that Reparations are due to Black America from the most culpable party—the US Government. His strategy, as a way of kickstarting the Reparations process, was to request that the US Government through the US Congress acknowledge that the Reparations issue should be fully explored so that a decision could be made concerning how to proceed with extending or not extending Reparations to Black Americans. He proposed House Resolution 40, which called for the Congress to provide a mere $12 million to establish a commission (to be appointed mainly by the US President and the Congress) to study Reparations. A report produced by that commission would establish a framework and informational content (historical, statistical, and otherwise) for considering Black American Reparations by the Congress and the nation. For the record, we contend that a study is unnecessary: The case for Reparations is already well-documented and well-known.
Rolling history forward, we all know that the US Government claims that it is now deeply indebted and has acted to constrain spending. Therefore, we should not expect the US Congress or the President to extend a mere $12 million for a Reparations study in the foreseeable future. Nevertheless, needed or not, let us satisfy this “study” requirement and remove a barrier to kickstarting a Reparations process.
Black America is no longer a child. We have a collective mind, collective earning power, and a collective desire for justice. So, what should our mind tell us to do? As already hinted, let us formulate an overarching strategy that might include as a starting point unifying around kickstarting Reparations in the following way.
On a “GD (God Delivers) Saturday (Sabbath)”—any Saturday, but as soon as possible—let every Black American area of influence (community or neighborhood) provide one cash offering.(1) The offering will be collected by a “designated Black organization” (we will return to this organization in a moment).
After the offering is collected (which will be deposited into the designated Black organization’s local bank account), let an official of that organization stand in clear view before those gathered and use his/her cellular telephone to visit the social media page of the designated Black organization and enter the specific name of the area of influence, the name of the related presiding official(s), and the amount collected that will be texted from the designated organization’s local bank account on the following Monday to a national bank account of the designated Black organization. Anyone who so desires can visit the above-mentioned social media page to see which areas of influence have submitted offerings and the related amounts. This first step in transparency is a critical key to trust building, which can be unifying.
Leading up to this GD Saturday, the local chapters of the designated Black organization should canvass areas of influence and make an appeal for every household to participate in the GD Saturday event, make a cash Reparations offering, and witness the notification of the offering being sent forward to kickstart the Reparations process.
On Monday, officials of local chapters of the designated Black organization must deposit the offerings into their local bank accounts, and then text the related amounts to the national bank account established by the designated Black organization. At the same time, local chapter officials should visit the national social media page of the designated Black organization and confirm that the offerings have been texted to the designated national bank account. The amount notified on the social media page on GD Saturday, the amount texted on Monday, and the amount in the confirmation statement on Monday on the social media page should be consistent. By no later than Thursday or Friday following GD Saturday, the designated Black organization must announce on its social media page the total amount of the offering received. More transparency.
Why the offering? The US Government has pulled out the “crying towel” saying that it is too poor to consider Reparations for Black America. So Black America will extend to the US Government in the form of a grant the resources necessary to convene a commission to study Reparations. As you may know, a government can generally and officially only accept grant funds from three sources: Another domestic government, a foreign government, or an international organization.
Because Black Americans do not have our own widely recognized government in America, because we are not a foreign government, we can only use an international organization to perform this grant transfer to the US Government.
Given that several Black organizations and institutions in the US have intervened with the United Nations (UN) on our behalf, we should be able to convince and leverage this international organization (the UN) to make this grant on our behalf to the US Government for the expressed purpose of financing the commission that is to study Black American Reparations. Using Black America’s many connections with African nations, we should be able to convince at least one such government to launch this proposal in the UN on our behalf. If the UN refuses to cooperate in this effort, then it will inform the world that it is a farce.
Before getting to the “designated Black organization,” let us highlight two additional important considerations.
First, let us decide how much we plan to send to the UN? We suggest doubling the $12 million amount initially set by the Hon. Rep. Conyers over 30 years ago—mainly due to inflation. Consequently, it is important that Black Americans make an offering of at least $24 million on GD Saturday. How much is required from every Black man, woman, and child? If there are at least 45 million of us in the US, then we should all ensure that everyone in our households contributes at least 50 cents to the offering. If we all make an offering of 50 cents, then the offering will total $22,500,000. That is close enough to the $24 million suggested. Who among us cannot contribute 50 cents to kickstart Reparations?
Second, suppose the total offering exceeds $24 million? One idea for allocating the residual (the difference between the total offering amount and the $24 million to be sent to the UN) is to distribute it equally to Historically Black Colleges and Universities that have an economics department/program that can perform research on a strategic plan for Black American Reparations.
Now the final element of the strategy for kickstarting Black American Reparations. We need to determine which is the “designated Black organization.” To make this determination, ask: Which Black American organization today has stood up for, and is standing up for, Black America and is not a “front-line” organization? Which organization is definitely and defiantly Black? Which organization has a history of being trustworthy among Black people? Which organization has an open-door policy and is not cliquish and elitist; i.e., does not reserve or restrict the benefits that it inures to itself to only its members? Which Black organization has no fear of the US Government? And which Black organization has never cooperated with US Governments at all levels and caused its members to adopt a second-class citizenship posture?
It is inappropriate for BlackEconomics.org to pinpoint the “designated Black organization,” and we will not. However, a check of the historical record will reveal only a few organizations that meet the above-described criteria. In addition, to our knowledge, there is only one group of such organizations that, on a combined basis, have operations (chapters) that are widespread enough to reach most sizeable Black American areas of influence; namely, branches of the original Nation of Islam.
Consequently, Black America should consider inviting Nation of Islam branches to cooperate and agree to coordinate this effort to kickstart Black American Reparations.
But we should not leave this very important effort to chance. If Nation of Islam branches do not take this handoff and advance the cause in a timely manner (say one year), then we should turn to Black organizations and institutions that have engaged with the UN. We should invite them to implore the UN to establish a transparent account that will accept direct donations from Black Americans for the purposes outlined herein. Again, at least one African nation should be willing to sponsor this UN action on Black America’s behalf. Accordingly, a special UN fund would be established with a social media page through which the process described above can be conducted. More transparency.
We realize that in every successful movement for freedom and justice, the people come forth. In this case, let us make the $24 million offering, send it to the UN, permit the UN to make a grant to the US Government so that the latter can convene a commission to study Black American Reparations. If the US Government refuses to accept the offering and refuses to convene the commission, then Black America will know that the US Government is a farce when it comes to dispensing justice, and we will then proceed to find another strategy for winning this 400+ year war.
One such strategy would be to use the $24 million offering to organize Reparations research on our own and build and prosecute an airtight case for Black American Reparations in International Courts.
Finally, a logical question to ask is: If the US Government is unable to finance a $12 million or $24 million commission to study Black American Reparations, then why should we expect the US Government to extend Reparations Payments to Black America? This is a very good question for which there is a very good answer.
Black American Reparations, as a concept, began with land. Let us ensure that it ends with Land. For so many reasons, Black Americans should request that the US Government determine the Reparations amount, and then to dispense that amount in the form of land, financial and material resources, and in international assistance—with land comprising the bulk of Reparations amount. Because the land was initially controlled by indigenous people (including descendants of its first inhabitants, who were Black and who originated from what is now known as Africa), the US must ensure that the land that is granted to Black Americans as Reparations is acceptable to other currently existing indigenous people—so-called Native Americans (which undoubtedly includes certain Black Americans).
Given Reparations in the form of land and other resources, Black Americans can work to heal and provide for ourselves independently, self-determine our bright future, live under liberty and justice, and help to preserve life on this beautiful and wonderful Earth far into the future. All of this can begin on a GD Saturday when we kickstart Reparations.
B Robinson and Lindsey “Rob” Robinson
060223
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1 We are the gods, children of the Most High God!