PAY THE TAB: Reparations Now

This is an exciting time in the fight for Black reparations! As momentum builds across the country, Pay The Tab is expanding in new directions - including the first-ever reparations course at UCLA Law School. In this special episode, Tony and Adam bring the latest news, answer your questions, and share things we all can do to disrupt America's toxic system of racism, denial, and capitalist greed.

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The largest-ever court award for slavery reparations came from an unlikely plaintiff. Henrietta Wood was an enslaved woman who gained her freedom in the 1840s - only to be kidnapped and sold back into slavery for 15 more horrific years. Her heroic fight for payback is inspiration for today’s reparations battle. Join us with historian Caleb McDaniel, whose book telling Wood's story, Sweet Taste Of Liberty, won the Pulitzer Prize.

SHOW NOTES

Guest: W. Caleb McDaniel

Dr. McDaniel is a professor at Rice University and U.S. historian, focusing on the Civil War Era and the struggle over slavery. He chairs the Department of History and serves as co-chair of Rice's Task Force on Slavery, Segregation, and Racial Injustice. His book, Sweet Taste of Liberty: A True Story of Slavery and Restitution in America, was awarded the 2020 Pulitzer Prize in History.

• Caleb McDaniel's home page
• Caleb McDaniel's book about Henrietta Wood, Sweet Taste Of Liberty
• Stolen by Richard Bell - story of five Black boys kidnapped from Philadelphia into slavery in 1825 
• More about Henrietta Wood's son Arthur Sims including his photo in Jet Magazine when he was America's oldest practicing Black lawyer!
  
  

HIGHLIGHTS OF EPISODE:

[5:57] The “reverse Underground Railroad” and kidnapping gangs in border states
[12:51] The villain: Zebulon Ward
[17:37] The case: Henrietta Wood v. Zebulon Ward
[20:38] Generational impact of court award on Wood’s family
[28:42] Importance of political action in the fight for reparations
[31:52] The hero: Henrietta Wood

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Rep. Justin J. Pearson blows away our live audience with his bold case for reparations - and for making change through multiracial solidarity. He speaks on the racist connections of gun violence and environmental pollution; and what we need to do to fix things. Also on video!

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Guest: Rep. Justin J. Pearson

Rep. Pearson is one of the most exciting new progressive voices in America. He’s state representative for Tennessee's 86th district, which includes the city of Memphis. He made international news in 2023 as part of the "Tennessee Three" when he was expelled and then reinstated after leading protests over gun violence. He led a multiracial movement that took on billion-dollar corporations and saved Memphis’s drinking water by blocking a pipeline scheduled to run through the city’s Black community.

• The closing argument: Rep. Pearson’s case for reparations in 10 minutes
  
  
• Rep. Justin J. Pearson and the Tennessee Three: NPR piece
  
  
• Justin J. Pearson’s fight against the Memphis pipeline on Heather McGhee's podcast
  
  
• More on the “solidarity dividend”: Heather McGhee’s book The Sum of Us
  
  
• More on Justin J. Pearson’s time as an activist at Bowdoin College
  
  
• Rep. Pearson’s letter addressing the his colleague’s inaction on gun reform April 2023
  
  

HIGHLIGHTS OF EPISODE:
 
[17:24] What “environmental racism” is and how it hurts communities
[25:56] Importance of a multi-racial, intergenerational movement for justice
[29:52] Reparations for environmental racism
[39:02] Racist origins of the Second Amendment
[49:29] How gun violence and environmental racism are connected
[55:35] The case for reparations in 10 minutes
[1:11:06] Audience Q & A

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Did you know Black Americans get about one hour less sleep each night than white people? Less sleep means serious health problems - and shorter life spans. We dive into this shocking “racial sleep gap” with a leading authority on the subject, Dr. Dayna Johnson. She breaks down where it comes from (spoiler alert: it’s all about racism) - and what we need to do to fix it!

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Guest: Dr. Dayna Johnson

Dayna Johnson is an Assistant Professor of Epidemiology at Emory University in Atlanta. She earned her Ph.D. in Epidemiologic Science from the University of Michigan. Dr. Johnson completed her postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital. Her research explores the causes of sleep health disparities, especially those due to race and gender.

• Dr. Dayna Johnson’s home page
  
  
• From Tricia Hersey (AKA the “Nap Bishop”):
  • "No More Grind”: her podcast interview about rest as resistance
  • Her manifesto, Rest Is Resistance
• Great article: “Reparations for Black People Should Include Rest”

HIGHLIGHTS OF EPISODE:

[0:55] Tony & Adam on the “racial sleep gap”

[9:52] Societal racism as root cause of the sleep gap

[14:42] How individual racism impacts Black people’s sleep

[16:48] Why Black people with more income and education often get less sleep

[26:25] How Black trauma can cause lifelong sleep problems

[33:51] Ideas on reparations for Black Americans’ sleep

[48:51] Tony’s call to action for Black listeners

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In the largest single act of mass incarceration in U.S. history, our government forced  over 125,000 Japanese Americans into prison camps for three years during World War II. On this special live episode, two leading activists join us to expose the true story of this racist atrocity, the fight for reparations that followed, and the importance of racial solidarity in all movements for change. We know Black America can achieve reparations: it’s been done before!

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Guests: Kathy Masaoka and traci kato-kiriyama

Kathy Masaoka was active in the movement for Japanese American redress in the 1980s and has worked to educate Americans about the camps. She co-chairs Nikkei for Civil Rights & Redress (NCRR) and is active in the fight for Black reparations, testifying before Congress in support of H.R. 40 in 2022.

traci kato-kiriyama is an award-winning multi-disciplinary artist and activist, recognized for her work as writer, performer, cultural producer, community organizer, and audiobook narrator. traci co-chairs the National Nikkei Reparations Coalition and is on the Why We Can't Wait Coalition.

Check out the VIDEO of this live episode! 

More on the incarceration of Japanese Americans:

• Searchable list of all 125,284 names of those incarcerated (Ireizō)
• NCRR’s book on the fight for Japanese American reparations
• Videos of the 1981 hearings
• “Pilgrimage” documentary
   

More on traci kato-kuriyama’s work:

• traci’s website
• Their amazing book Navigating Without Instruments
   

More from bridgette bianca:

• Her poem from our live show: “There Goes The Neighborhood”
• bridgette’s homepage

The California Reparations Task Force proposals for Black reparations

Highlights of episode:

[9:56] Bogus excuses vs. real reasons for Japanese Americans’ incarceration

[15:31] Kathy and traci's family experiences in prison camps

[21:45] traci reads "No Redress"

[29:39] Clips from J.A. reparations hearings

[36:51] Limitations of J.A. reparations

[39:11] Lessons of racial solidarity

[52:05] traci reads "Note to Nikkei Community on Reparations" 

[56:35] Q & A

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Mass incarceration is a cancer that’s devouring Black communities. Writer and filmmaker Asia Johnson joins us and shares her experiences as a formerly incarcerated woman - and her visions for a new system of justice. Recorded with a live audience. Also on video!

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Guest: Asia Johnson

Asia Johnson is a writer, filmmaker, and activist for the rights of incarcerated people. She is the Manager of Storytelling for zealo.us, a national advocacy, arts, education, and media institute. Her debut short film “Out of Place” screened at universities across the country. She is currently working on her first feature length documentary.

Check out the VIDEO of this episode! 

More about Asia and her work:

• Asia’s homepage
• Asia’s first film Out Of Place
• zealo.us
• Right of Return Fellowship
• Art for Justice
   

More about the prison-industrial complex:

• 13th (Ava DuVernay’s documentary masterpiece)
• The New Jim Crow (Michelle Alexander’s definitive book)
• Vera Institute of Justice
   

More about Restorative Justice:

• Until We Reckon (book by Danielle Sered)
• Common Justice (Sered’s RJ organization in Chicago)
• Restorativejustice.org

Highlights of episode:

[8:20] Asia shares her early life and family experiences

[18:20] Asia shares her experience in prison

[22:23] [Asia explains challenges people face after prison

[31:59] Asia envisions abolition of mass incarceration

[37:24] More productive ways to spend $200 billion

[38:56] Restorative justice as alternative to mass incarceration

[55:03] Adam discusses indifference of white America as key obstacle

[56:24] Asia’s Q&A with the audience

[1:14:37] Asia’s closing poem and call to action

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Why has it always been damn near impossible for Black Americans to make ends meet - let alone build wealth? Join us with Mehrsa Baradaran, law professor and a leading expert on the racial wealth gap. She speaks the truth and helps us bust the myths we’ve all been fed about race, money, and the American Dream. Mehrsa also has an innovative plan to bridge the gap real fast!

SHOW NOTES

Guest: Mehrsa Baradaran

Mehrsa Baradaran is a professor at UC Irvine Law School and a leading expert on the racial wealth gap. Her award-winning book The Color of Money is the definitive work on the subject. Mehrsa’s proposed “Homestead Act for the 21st Century” lays out a bold plan to redress hundreds of years of racial discrimination and enable Black Americans to fully participate in the American Dream of homeownership.

Highlights of Episode:

[1:53] Racial wealth gap explained

[4:46] Origin and expansion of the wealth gap

[15:11] Role of U.S. government in vicious cycle of discrimination against Black people

[18:35] Myths about causes of the wealth gap

[22:06] Real reasons for the gap

[23:40] Mehrsa’s Homestead Act for the 21st Century

[30:01] How reparations will uplift everyone

[33:48] Ideas for making reparations personal


Mehrsa’s plan for reparations: A Homestead Act for the 21st Century

Books by Mehrsa Baradaran:

• The Color of Money
• How the Other Half Banks

Mehrsa’s video testimony to the California Reparations Task Force (10/13/21)

More on "redlining": 

• Redlining maps for all U.S. cities 
• More on the U.S. government’s role in redlining 

 
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Morgan Curtis discovered that her family’s wealth (and her large inheritance) were made from centuries of exploitation and suffering, including slavery. What she did in response is an amazing story of personal reparations - and reminds us of the power of facing hard truths and living our lives with purpose.

SHOW NOTES

Guest: Morgan Curtis

Morgan Curtis is a young white woman making personal reparations through giving away all of her inherited wealth to causes supporting Black and Indigenous empowerment. She also coaches other wealthy people interested in redistributing their wealth. Morgan is a graduate student at Harvard Divinity School, focused on the spiritual dimension of reparations work for white descendants of colonizers and enslavers.

Highlights of Episode:

[8:05] Surprise discovery of large investment account in her name

[16:33] Challenges accessing the money and navigating relationship with her father

[18:53] Plan for giving away her money

[24:35] Morgan’s wealth distribution coaching

[34:23] Role of guilt and shame  

[36:41] Reparations resources

Morgan’s Homepage:  More about Morgan and her work, including coaching services. You can chart the details of her giving on this Wealth Redistribution Spreadsheet. And check out her mini-book manifesto, Decolonial Dames of America. 

More resources for wealth redistribution and social change, mentioned in the episode:

• Resource Generation: Organizes young people with wealth and class privilege to become transformative leaders working towards the equitable distribution of wealth, land, and power.
• Solidaire Network: Community of donors moving resources to intersectional movements for racial, gender, and climate justice.
• Coming To The Table: Providing leadership, resources, and a supportive environment for all who wish to acknowledge and heal wounds from racism that is rooted in the United States’ history of slavery.
• Reparations 4 Slavery: Major portal for leaders doing deep work on reparations in America.
• Seed Commons: A national network of locally-rooted, non-extractive loan funds that brings the power of big finance under community control.
• Thousand Currents: They use relationships and resources worldwide in support of social movements building loving, equitable, and just futures, while transforming philanthropic and investment practices.

Atlanta episode “The Big Payback” trailer (season 3, episode 4):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWDBXNFM5A0

 
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Show notes:
 
The incredible Robin D. G. Kelley schools us on what true reparations could look like - and how to use our collective power to envision a better future. Recorded in Los Angeles with a live audience. See the video HERE!

Guest: Robin D. G. Kelley

Robin Kelley is a leading historian, author, and thinker of our time - or any time. His groundbreaking book Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination offers inspiring visions for a bold Black future. He breaks down why we need to imagine a radically different world in the fight for reparations. Filmed with a live audience at the Greenway Court Theatre in Los Angeles.

Check out the VIDEO of this episode!

Highlights of Episode:

[7:59] Freedom Dreams is invitation to engage in struggle, make mistakes, learn from past movements

[10:10] The global nature of racism and oppression, seeing reparations more broadly

[13:12] Role of artists as truth-tellers

[24:39] Robin’s bold possibilities for reparations

[26:20] Why we need to transform society; link between Black and Indigenous reparations

[32:42] Tony’s tribute to our mothers

[45:42] Why we can’t ever get equality under capitalism
 
Some key reparations movements and pioneers from the past:

• The Black Manifesto
• N'COBRA
• Provisional Government Of The Republic Of New Afrika
• "Queen Mother" Audley Moore
• Callie House

Selected books by Robin Kelley:

• Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination (20th anniv. edition)
• Africa Speaks, America Answers: Modern Jazz in Revolutionary Times
• Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original
• Yo' Mama's DisFunktional: Fighting the Culture Wars in Urban America
• Race Rebels: Culture, Politics, and the Black Working Class
• Hammer and Hoe: Alabama Communists During the Great Depression

Robin highlights the critical role of artists in the struggle for Black liberation:

• Aja Monet - Dynamic young poet who wrote the new foreword to Freedom Dreams
• "Who'll Pay Reparations On My Soul" by Gil Scott-Heron - Groundbreaking musician, poet, author, and activist
• Sekou Sindiata - Brilliant poet who made profound impact on Freedom Dreams

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Dr. J. Marion Sims is hailed as the Father of Modern Gynecology. But his reputation was built through inhumane experiments on enslaved young women. We talk with “creative extremist” Michelle Browder, who exposes the truth about Sims, the racism of the medical profession, and using art as a form of reparations.

SHOW NOTES

Guest: Michelle Browder

Michelle is a dynamic artist and activist based in Montgomery, Alabama. Her work exposes our true history, empowers youth, and honors those who have been ignored. For her groundbreaking “Mothers of Gynecology” sculptures, Michelle was a USA Today 2022 Women of the Year selection.

Highlights of episode:

[0:37] Adam & Tony on anti-Black racism in the U.S. medical profession

[6:47] Michelle on Anarcha, Lucy and Betsey

[11:01] Michelle on Sims’s experiments 

[14:30] Michelle on her creative process for the “Mothers of Gynecology”

[25:46] Michelle on exposing Alabama’s injustices against Native Americans

[29:53] Michelle on racism in the medical profession and need for a reckoning

[42:46] Tony & Adam on Michelle’s upcoming Mothers of Gynecology Health & Wellness Center


Michelle’s Homepage

Donate to Michelle’s work

"Mothers of Gynecology” 

• Photos and story from NPR
• Short Video with Michelle
• Here’s the old painting of Sims that triggered Michelle’s artistic journey.
• Here’s Michelle’s new mural of Sims with Anarcha, Lucy and Betsey!

Michelle’s recommended reading on racism and Black people’s health:

• Post Tramatic Slave Syndrome (Joy DeGruy)
• Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans From Colonial Times to the Present (Harriett Washington)
• Medical Bondage: Race, Gender, and the Origins of American Gynecology (Deidre Cooper Owens)
• Under the Skin: The Hidden Toll of Racism on American Lives and on the Health of the Nation (Linda Villarosa)

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