In this article, African Americans from a diverse set of backgrounds, upbringings, and ages were asked one question: If African Americans collectively had the opportunity to demand reparations from the United States, what would you demand?
This question aimed to identify first-hand what reparations individuals feel are needed and are long overdue.
Below are the reparations on the mind of African Americans from across the state of California, many who are Los Angeles natives.
Daniele L., 20-year-old college student and actor
“If I had the opportunity to demand reparations, I wouldn’t demand just one single thing. While I think reparations should partially be in form of check, on a deeper level, it should serve as a tool of repair to rebuild what was broken and destroyed. This looks like dismantling countless systems of oppression, rewriting laws, land restitution, debt forgiveness and the list goes on.”
“I would want all of these things to take place,” she finished.
Related Links:
https://lasentinel.net/california-establishes-first-in-the-nation-reparations-agency.html
https://lasentinel.net/black-lawyers-back-reparations-bill-targeting-college-admissions.html
Leonard L., 73-year-old entrepreneur and philanthropist
“Education subsidies especially for higher education, guaranteed Low interest rates for home purchases, Increased Social Security payments, acknowledgement of the horrific human suffering and the generational deprivation, $100k, free dental and medical care, subsidies for Sr. Utility cost.”
Sariyah I., 23-year-old Loyola Marymount University graduate
“I would demand to increase access to land for Black people I think it’s important to encourage our community to be self sufficient and what better way to do that than having ownership. I don’t really know what that would like in terms of reparations but I think a good start would be giving out grants to those who are interested or having certain plots of land reserved just for us”
Dania J., a 21-year-old college student and real estate agent
“Debt/loan forgiveness, restoration of stolen land and property, free college tuition, investment in k-12 schools where majority of students are Black and African American, funding for African America museums, universal health care, mental health services, voting protection, and media reparations, i.e. to stop painting Black people in a negative light.”
Patrice, 68-year-old California Native
“That they give the people everything they took from us. That they give us our land and property back, and the property that the government had oil rights and removed people from their homes to claim the rights of the oil. Compensate for the pain and suffering caused us for generations. Give the kids better education and schools. Give the children healthy lunches, like the upper-class kids. End modern day slavery. Give us our 40 acres and a mule.”
“Stop Racial injustice and Racial Discrimination,” Patrice L. finished.
Khadijah A., 29-year-old actress
“Every wealthy family who made their riches through slavery dismantled and separately gave the money to every living descendant of slavery. Ridding statues of slave owners 40 acres and a mule”
Brittney M., 31-year-old Los Angeles Native
“The two main things would be subsidized student loans and subsidized business loans.”
