Reparations Black Community

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

What are reparations? Do Black people deserve reparations? Do Black communities deserve reparations? What forms could reparations take? How could reparations be distributed? What effects could reparations have in closing racial equity gaps in all facets of society? What obstacles stand in the way of discussing or achieving reparations? These are some of the very important questions that will animate this course’s study as it considers historical and contemporary debates about reparations for the descendants of formerly enslaved African Americans. We will pay attention to the initiatives in Evanston, IL as well as the State of California’s Final Reparations Report when we examine how contemporary local and state governments have begun to approach this topic. Students will be expected to think energetically, creatively, imaginatively, and precisely in order to develop reparations proposals throughout the course of the semester. The course will situate reparations discussions alongside racial equity ones in order to develop solutions for the persistent racial inequities. We will ask and answer hard questions while considering pragmatic and practical ways to implement policies and achieve equity, or diminish inequities.