A historic public hearing on reparations was held by the House Committee on the Judiciary on June 19, the first time the topic was given such a forum—and with real political push and backing behind it. During it, lawmakers debated the bill “H.R. 40 and the Path to Restorative Justice,” which is now headed to the Senate for a vote.
In the aftermath of the hearing—and in honor of civil rights leader Queen Mother Moore’s 121st birthday—an online “Reparations Toolkit” was published last Saturday (July 27) by the Movement for Black Lives Policy Table. The goal of the toolkit is to provide a “grounding definition of what reparations is, and advance our argument that reparations for slavery and continued oppression of Black people is essential,” according to the website.
Inside the toolkit, organizers, advocates and individuals will find history on the longstanding struggle for reparations for Black people whose ancestors were enslaved, international human rights laws underlying reparations demands and case studies at the institutional, local, state and international levels. To better help people understand what reparations are and how to get them, the toolkit also includes narrative, images, interactive group exercises and other resources.
Bookmark the toolkit here.