Today marks a significant anniversary in American history. On this day in 1792, construction began on the White House, the iconic symbol of the United States presidency. However, the story of its construction is a complex one, intertwined with the harsh reality of slavery in America.
Enslaved Black Americans played a pivotal role in building the White House. They quarried and cut the stone, performed carpentry, and contributed to nearly every aspect of the construction process. Their labor was essential, yet their contributions have been overlooked or minimized.
In 2016, First Lady Michelle Obama brought this history to the forefront during her speech at the Democratic National Convention. She spoke movingly about the generations of enslaved people who helped build the White House, and the powerful symbolism of her own family living there.
The White House stands as a reminder of both the nation’s achievements and its painful past. It is a testament to the resilience and contributions of Black Americans, whose labor helped shape the nation, even in the face of oppression. As we reflect on this history, it is crucial to acknowledge the full story of the White House and the enduring legacy of those who built it.
It is important to acknowledge the full story of the White House and the legacy of those who built it because:
Historical Accuracy: It corrects a historical narrative that often overlooked the contributions of enslaved people.
Recognition of Black Contributions: It honors the labor and skills of Black Americans who played a crucial role in building the nation.
Understanding the Legacy of Slavery: It provides a deeper understanding of how slavery shaped American history and its enduring impact.
Promoting Reconciliation: It fosters a more inclusive and honest dialogue about the nation’s past, which is essential for healing and progress.
Reparations: The issue of reparations for Black Americans is not a complex one, considering the long history of American slavery and the contributions of enslaved Black people.
The White House represents a dual legacy:
Symbol of Achievement: It is the iconic home of the U.S. presidency, representing the nation’s power and democracy.
Reminder of Slavery’s History: Its construction by enslaved people embodies the painful history of slavery and its role in building the nation.
This duality highlights the complexity of American history, showcasing both its triumphs and its deep-rooted injustices.
Some of the most common reasons cited by proponents of reparations include:
To compensate Black Americans for the unpaid labor of their ancestors. During the era of slavery, Black people were forced to work without compensation, enriching white slave owners and their descendants. This unpaid labor built the wealth of the United States, and reparations are seen as a way to redress this historical injustice.
To address the ongoing legacy of slavery and racism. The effects of slavery continue to be felt today, with Black Americans facing systemic disadvantages in areas such as education, housing, employment, and healthcare. Reparations are seen as a way to address these inequalities and create a more just society.
To promote racial healing and reconciliation. The history of slavery is a painful one for Black and some white Americans. Reparations are seen as a way to acknowledge this history and begin the process of healing and reconciliation.
It is important to note that there is no consensus on the specific form that reparations should take. Some people believe that reparations should be financial, while others believe that they should take the form of policy changes or social programs. There is also debate about who should be eligible for reparations, and how much they should receive. The issue of reparations is an important one to discuss. The history of slavery is a dark stain on American history, and its effects continue to be felt today. Reparations are one way to begin to address this history and create a more just and equitable society.
According to a 2020 poll by the Pew Research Center, 60% of Black Americans believe that the U.S. government should pay reparations to Black Americans for slavery and its legacy. However, only 20% of white Americans agree. The issue of reparations is likely to continue to be debated for many years to come. However, it is an important conversation to have, as it forces us to confront the dark side of American history and to think about how we can create a more just and equitable future, especially as we commemorate the building of powerful institutions like the White House built by enslaved Black people in America.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a formal apology for the state’s historical involvement in slavery. This apology acknowledges the deep-rooted injustices and systemic racism that have persisted since the state’s early history, all while denying the historic injustice and brutality inflicted upon formerly enslaved people.
The apology may seem like a significant step towards recognizing the historical trauma experienced by enslaved people and their descendants, but it is not. It only serves as a reminder of the arduous and ongoing fight for racial justice and equality in America, and the nation’s staunch resistance to delivering justice the descendants of enslaved Black people deserve.
Here are some specific examples of the injustices and systemic racism experienced by enslaved people and their descendants in California:
Enslavement and its immediate aftermath:
Forced labor and separation of families: Enslaved people were forced to work long hours in dangerous conditions, often separated from their families. They were not paid for their labor and had no control over their lives.
Physical and psychological abuse: Enslaved people were often subjected to physical and psychological abuse, including whippings, beatings, and sexual assault.
Denial of basic rights: Enslaved people were denied basic rights, such as the right to education, healthcare, and property ownership.
Post-emancipation discrimination:
Jim Crow laws: After the Civil War, California passed a series of Jim Crow laws that discriminated against Black people in housing, education, employment, and public accommodations. These laws remained in effect until the 1960s.
Redlining: Redlining was a discriminatory practice in which banks refused to lend money to Black people in certain neighborhoods. This made it difficult for Black people to buy homes and build wealth.
Mass incarceration: Black people are disproportionately incarcerated in California. This is due to a number of factors, including racial profiling, harsher sentencing laws, and the war on drugs.
Disparities in education and healthcare: Black students are more likely to be suspended or expelled from school than white students. They are also less likely to graduate from high school or college. Black people have a higher rate of infant mortality and are more likely to die from preventable diseases than white people.
These are just a few examples of the many injustices and systemic racism experienced by enslaved people and their descendants in California. The legacy of slavery continues to have a profound impact on Black communities today.
Here are some additional resources that you may find helpful:
In 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed the Civil Liberties Act, a landmark piece of legislation that sought to address one of the darkest chapters in American history: the forced internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. This act provided a formal apology and tax-free restitution to those who were unjustly incarcerated, and to their surviving spouses or descendants.
The internment of Japanese Americans was a grave violation of civil liberties, fueled by fear and prejudice. The Civil Liberties Act of 1988 was a significant step towards acknowledging this injustice and providing some measure of reparation to those who suffered. It serves as a reminder of the importance of upholding civil rights and the dangers of unchecked discrimination.
The Civil Liberties Act of 1988 holds significant importance in the broader context of civil rights history as it represents a formal acknowledgment and apology for a grave injustice perpetrated by the U.S. government against a specific ethnic group. By providing reparations, it set a precedent for addressing historical wrongs and recognizing the importance of upholding civil liberties for all, regardless of race or ethnicity. This act serves as a reminder of the dangers of prejudice and discrimination, and the ongoing struggle to ensure equality and justice for all.
In contrast to the justice given to the Japanese American victims of internment, the Supreme Court of Oklahoma has once again denied a petition brought by the last two living survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre. This decision perpetuates a significant miscarriage of justice, as the City of Tulsa was involved in the white supremacist violence that destroyed the Greenwood community and killed hundreds of its residents. Despite the ongoing discovery of victims’ remains in mass graves, the City of Tulsa maintains that the survivors do not deserve restitution.
Reparations for Slavery: Addressing a Historical Injustice
The issue of reparations for slavery has been a topic of ongoing debate in the United States. It centers on the idea of providing compensation to the descendants of enslaved Africans for the immense harm and injustices inflicted upon them and their ancestors.
Proponents argue that reparations are necessary to acknowledge the legacy of slavery and its enduring impact on African Americans, including economic disparities, systemic racism, and intergenerational trauma. They propose various forms of reparations, such as direct payments, educational opportunities, healthcare access, and community development initiatives.
Opponents, however, raise concerns about the practicality and fairness of reparations, questioning who should receive them, how they should be funded, and whether they would truly address the root causes of racial inequality.
Comparing and Contrasting Reparations for Japanese Internment and Slavery
Similarities:
Both represent attempts to address historical injustices perpetrated by the U.S. government against specific groups.
Both involve acknowledging the harm inflicted and providing some form of compensation or restitution.
Both face challenges in terms of determining eligibility, forms of reparation, and addressing the long-term effects of the injustice.
Differences:
Nature of Injustice: Japanese internment was a temporary, albeit traumatic, violation of civil liberties during wartime, while slavery was a centuries-long system of brutal oppression and dehumanization.
Scale of Impact: Slavery affected millions of Africans and their descendants over generations, while Japanese internment affected a smaller, though still significant, number of people.
Form of Reparations: Japanese internment reparations primarily involved monetary compensation and a formal apology, while reparations for slavery encompass a broader range of proposals, including direct payments, educational opportunities, healthcare access, and community development.
Current Status: Reparations for Japanese internment were implemented through the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, while reparations for slavery remain a topic of ongoing debate and have not yet been realized at a national level.
Conclusion:
While both Japanese internment and slavery represent grave injustices in American history, the scale, nature, and lasting impact of each differ significantly. This has led to different approaches and outcomes in the pursuit of reparations. The Civil Liberties Act of 1988 serves as a precedent for acknowledging and addressing historical wrongs, but the debate over reparations for slavery highlights the complexities and challenges of redressing the deep-seated legacy of this institution.
While the debate continues, the call for reparations for slavery highlights the deep-seated wounds of the past and the ongoing struggle for racial justice in America. It serves as a reminder of the need for honest dialogue and meaningful action to address the historical and contemporary effects of slavery.
The phrase “40 acres and a mule” holds profound historical significance, symbolizing the unfulfilled promise of land and reparations to African Americans after the Civil War. It supposedly originated from a speech delivered by Union General William T. Sherman on January 16, 1865, in Savannah, Georgia. In a bold move, Sherman promised that freed slaves would receive 40 acres of land and a mule from the confiscated lands of Confederate landowners.
“We have been taught in school that the source of the policy of “40 acres and a mule” was Union General William T. Sherman’s Special Field Order No. 15, issued on Jan. 16, 1865. (That account is half-right: Sherman prescribed the 40 acres in that Order, but not the mule. The mule would come later.) But what many accounts leave out is that this idea for massive land redistribution actually was the result of a discussion that Sherman and Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton held four days before Sherman issued the Order, with 20 leaders of the black community in Savannah, Ga., where Sherman was headquartered following his famous March to the Sea. The meeting was unprecedented in American history.” – Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
This promise, however, was never fully realized. President Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Abraham Lincoln after his assassination, reversed Sherman’s order, returning most of the confiscated land to its former owners. While some African Americans did manage to acquire land under the Homestead Act of 1862, they encountered numerous obstacles, including rampant discrimination, violence, and economic hardship.
The failure to provide land and reparations to African Americans had far-reaching consequences. It perpetuated poverty, segregation, and inequality, leaving a lasting impact on generations of African Americans that is still felt and experienced today. This unfulfilled promise continues to serve as a reminder of the ongoing struggle for racial justice in the United States.
Beyond its historical significance, the phrase “40 acres and a mule” has taken on a broader meaning, representing the collective demand for reparations and acknowledgment of the injustices faced by African Americans throughout history. It encapsulates the desire for not only material restitution but also for the recognition and repair of the deep wounds inflicted by slavery and its aftermath.
Today, the phrase remains a powerful symbol of resistance and resilience, inspiring activists, artists, and scholars to continue advocating for racial justice and equality. It serves as a reminder that the fight for reparations and a just society is far from over.
New Jersey has been called the “slave state of the North” for its deeply embedded history of slavery, and as such, the New Jersey Reparations Council was established as a state-level body responsible for studying and developing recommendations for reparations to address the harms caused by slavery and its legacy in New Jersey. The council was established by the New Jersey Legislature in 2021 under the New Jersey Reparations Act.
“The first-of-its-kind New Jersey Reparations Council was convened by the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice on Juneteenth 2023 to finally confront and repair the deep and often overlooked history of slavery in New Jersey and its lasting impact on the contemporary life of Black people in the state.”
Mission
The mission of the New Jersey Reparations Council is to develop a comprehensive plan for reparations to address the harms caused by slavery and its legacy in New Jersey. The council will consider the historical, social, and economic impacts of slavery on African Americans in New Jersey and will make recommendations for reparations that are fair and equitable.
Membership
The New Jersey Reparations Council is composed of 15 members, all of whom are appointed by the Governor of New Jersey. The members of the council include:
Nine African Americans who are descendants of enslaved people in New Jersey
Three representatives from organizations that advocate for reparations
Three experts in the fields of history, sociology, or economics
Work of the Council
The New Jersey Reparations Council is currently in the process of gathering evidence and hearing testimony from stakeholders. The council is also conducting research on the historical, social, and economic impacts of slavery and its legacy in New Jersey. The council is expected to issue a final report with recommendations for reparations by the end of 2024. The council recently announced its “Promise of Juneteenth: New Jersey Repartitions Council Year One” panel discussion on June 19, 2024 at 7:00PM.
The New Jersey Reparations Council is a significant step toward addressing the harms caused by slavery and its legacy in New Jersey. The council’s work could have a major impact on the lives of African Americans in New Jersey and could help to create a more just and equitable society
The United States has a long and complicated history with slavery and its aftermath. The issue of reparations for Black Americans has been debated for decades, and there is no easy answer.
What is reparations?
Reparations are a form of compensation paid to individuals or groups who have been harmed by past injustices. In the case of Black Americans, reparations could take many forms, such as financial payments, land grants, or educational opportunities.
The case for reparations
Advocates of reparations argue that Black Americans have been systemically discriminated against for centuries, and that reparations are a way to address the harm caused by this discrimination. They point to the fact that Black Americans still face racial disparities in areas such as wealth, income, education, and criminal justice.
The case against reparations
Opponents of reparations argue that it is unfair to make current generations pay for the sins of their ancestors. They also argue that reparations would be impractical and difficult to implement.
The debate over reparations
The debate over reparations is likely to continue for many years to come. There are strong arguments on both sides of the issue, and there is no easy answer.
Recent developments
In recent years, there has been a growing movement to support reparations for Black Americans. In 2020, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would create a commission to study the issue of reparations. The bill is currently pending in the Senate.
The Stolen Wealth of Slavery: A Case for Reparations by David Montero and Michael Eric Dyson, Ph.D.
Frazier Baker, the first African American to be elected as U.S. postmaster for Lake City, South Carolina, was a prominent figure in the Civil Rights Movement. He was born in 1908 in Lake City and attended segregated schools. After graduating from high school, he worked as a farmer and a teacher.
In 1946, Baker was elected as the president of the Lake City branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He also served as the president of the South Carolina NAACP from 1951 to 1955.
During the Civil Rights Movement, Baker was a leading figure in the fight for voting rights for African Americans. He was arrested several times for his activism, but he never gave up.
In 1966, Baker was elected as the U.S. postmaster for Lake City. He was the first African American to hold this position. Baker served as postmaster until his retirement in 1972.
Baker was a dedicated civil rights activist and a respected community leader. And although he left a lasting legacy of fighting for justice and equality in America, he was dealt the cruelty of racism and hate by a white mob.
On February 22, 1898, a white mob lynched Dr. Frazier Baker along with his infant daughter, Julia. The mob also injured Baker’s wife, Lavinia, and two of their remaining children. Lavinia and the five surviving children managed to flee.
Read a detailed report on Frazier Baker by Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), HERE.
Rep. Jamaal Bowman, (D-NY) along with a handful of his democratic colleagues, have offered a $14 trillion pathway to finally reach a deal on the long standing issue of reparations.
The measure is calling on the federal government to be held accountable for slavery and the aftermath of it. The lawmaker cited the federal government’s response to the pandemic and the “space race” as examples that can make H.Res. 414 feasible. “When COVID was destroying us, we invested in the American people in a way that kept the economy afloat,” said Bowman. “The government can invest the same way in reparations without raising taxes on anyone.” “…Where did the money come from?” Bowman said. “We spent it into existence.”
Bowman is among nine sponsors of H.Res. 414, which seeks to establish that the US has “a moral and legal obligation to provide reparations for the enslavement of Africans and its lasting harm on the lives of millions of Black people in the United States.”
The measure would prompt the federal government to spend $14 trillion on a reparations program that would support descendants of enslaved Black people and people of African descent. Another measure to establish a federal commission on the impact of reparations was reintroduced this year and Bowman is a sponsor of it. The lawmakers say the bill must also address racial disparities in housing, mass incarceration, and education outcomes and “eliminate the racial wealth gap that currently exists between Black and White Americans.”
A recent report by David McKay Wilson in the Journal News provides this whitewashed summary on America’s long history with slavery:
“State-sanctioned slavery existed in what became the United States for 246 years. Ten of the nation’s first 12 presidents enslaved Black people, including one who engaged in slave trading from the Oval Office. Enslaved people — both in the North and the South — helped build our nation and were a foundation of the 18th and 19th century economies. The Hudson Valley’s Philipse family, with a mansion in Yonkers and a mill up the river at Philipsburg Manor, made a portion of their fortune through the slave trade.
New York’s gradual emancipation in 1799 subjected current slaves to lifelong bondage but granted freedom to those born after 1799 by 1827. National emancipation came in 1865, but freedom for the former slaves did not bring prosperity or the rights enjoyed by other Americans.”
Another important historical fact shared on X by Equal Justice Initiative states that on January 18, 1771, North Carolina approved payments of nearly 1,000 pounds, or the equivalent of $230,000 today, to “reimburse” white “owners” for enslaved Black people executed by the state. Dr. Kind said “the time is always right to do the right thing,” especially when it comes to this long and arduous battle to bring about economic justice for Black people who built America under the brutality of slave labor, and creating the richest nation the world has ever known. In his famous I Have A Dreamspeech, he said, “We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and security of justice. We have also come to his hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now.” America must now go beyond honoring Dr. King’s legacy and deliver this check to repair what remains broken.
Reparations is the making of amends for what a wrong one has done, by paying money to or otherwise helping those who have been wronged. The act of repairing something. Reparations for Slavery: The application of the concept of reparations to the victims of chattel slavery and their descendants.
When did you first realize that your life was marginalized? For me it began in September 1985 when I entered the school St. Pius X in Bowie, MD. At 8 just before my 9th birthday in the 4th grade my classmates would not pass me anything the teachers handed out to be passed out to the class. At recess I sat by myself receiving endless amounts of stares and fingers pointed my way. I couldn’t understand what I did to be treated this way except for the fact that I looked different. The difference being the kinkiness of my hair, the highly melanated skin I possessed and the NWDC dialect I spoke. This was my 1st experience of what hate felt like. This was just the beginning of 4 years of being called a Nigger and being told to go back to Africa almost every day. It really trips people up when I say I was witness to a cross being burned in a neighbor’s yard off Mitchellville Road. I never really understood why these individuals who looked differently from me were filled with so much hate and anger. At that age I didn’t understand the violent nature of chattel slavery or have the knowledge I have now of the truth about my ancestor’s enslavement.
Now in high school I’ve had the opportunity to do many projects and write plenty essays dealing with American history. I was intrigued by the actions of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and Rosa Parks because that’s who we learned about during Black History Month every February. I did wonder who the other leaders for the plight of our culture were because how is their only 2. This curiosity had me pulling out our Britannica Encyclopedia sets and search for all the black people I could find. It was like my summer project every Summer. I read about Bob Marley which led me to learn about the Rastafarians. I learned about the Black Panther Party of Self Defense and the first mention of reparations. I was very intrigued by Huey Newton, Fred Hampton, Eldridge Cleaver, Assata Shakur, Bobby Seale and their willingness to uplift our community. Because I attended private school and lived in a nicer home with a pool in the back yard, I didn’t see the inequalities, inequities or being marginalized until I became homeless at 17 years old. Having to repeat a 2nd year of 12th grade I signed up to take the elective African American Studies at Largo High School. This is the course that helped shape the Freedom Fighter I am today. I learned about Kemet, more detailed facts about chattel slavery and the activist that fought hard for the little bit of freedoms we currently lived with. From 18 years old to now at 46 I’ve been requesting and demanding reparations.
In 2011 I began the journey via Ancestry.com to trace my roots. I come from a broken family, broken home, no relationship with either of my grandfathers, barely saw my Paternal Grandmother, I remember seeing my Maternal Grandmother once, saw my mother 2 times before I turned 18 and didn’t know much about anyone from her side of the family. It all came crashing down reading through the microfilm to see my ancestors amounted to an age, sex and skin tone- black or mulatto. I then began to ask myself why we have to pay for this service. This information was stolen from us by the individuals who stole, enslaved and imprisoned us. The demand for Reparations was spewing out at every turn. Still falling upon deaf ears.
In August 2019 The New York Times released a series of articles called the 1619 Project. It was intriguing to read about real stories of the past that have lead us to how we are living today. In 2020 after George Floyd and Breyanna Taylor were murdered I can feel a shift in the environment that I hoped would cause our residents to pause and really see what is going on here in America. We are still living marginalized, enslaved, not respected and suffering emotionally, mentally, educationally and financially from the effects of Chattel Slavery. Nikole Hannah Jones I thank you whole heartedly for the work you put in on this project full of factual stories of our people that has been washed away by our enslavers.
The case of Reparations:
Have you heard of Henrietta Wood? Henrietta Wood was born into slavery in Northern Tennessee approximately 1819. After 30 years of enslavement the wife of her enslaver Jane Cirode, registered Henrietta as a freed slave in 1848. After 9 years living free, the daughter and son in law of her former enslaver wanted to recapture her for profit. They hired Deputy Sheriff Zebulon Ward from Covington, Kentucky to kidnap Henrietta and sell her. Wood was captured by Ward conspiring with Wood’s employer to bring her on the Kentucky side of the Ohio River. Henrietta spent 1 year imprisoned at slave pen in Lexington, Kentucky. Due to the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 Woods could not defend herself by trial or by testimony on her behalf. An innkeeper who felt empathy for Henrietta filed on her behalf. After 2 years her claim was unsuccessful due to her freedom paperwork being burned in a fire on Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1855 Woods was sold to the son of the former Governor of Mississippi Gerard Brandon.
Henrietta Wood, won the first reparations lawsuit.
When the Union Army Arrived to free the slaves after the Civil War, Brandon took his slaves to Texas to escape. Henrietta remained enslaved to Gerard until she signed an employment contract with the Brandon family in 1869. Not too long after Henrietta returned to Ohio with her son Arthur. In 1870 Henrietta began the process to sue the Brandon Wood family. After 8 years Wood vs Ward was litigated, and Wood was awarded $2,500 of the $20,000 restitution requested by her attorney Harvey Myers in 1879. This is the largest award given for slavery reparations. Henrietta moved to Chicago to be with her son Arthur Simms and used the restitution money to help afford his enrollment to Union College of Law, now Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law. Arthur practiced law for approximately 62 years in Chicago.
Belinda | Slavery and Remembrance
Have you heard of Belinda (Royal) Sutton? I hadn’t either until the 1619 Project introduced me to her. Belinda Royal was born in Ghana, Africa in 1712. She recalls smelling spice and seeing mountains living a joyful life full of love with her parents prior to her captivity and enslavement. At 63 years old after being abandoned by her enslaver she filed a petition with the help of her attorney to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts requesting an income from the estate of her former enslaver in 1783. Her testimony describing the happy times with family back home in Africa contradicted the assumption that slaves were happy in their captivity. With that realization she won her claim and was awarded 15 pounds and 12 shillings annually ~$17.98. Through further research it was found that she had to fight continuously for that award to be honored and paid. After a decade of missed inconsistent payments and further petitions here is her petition in 1793:
The Petition of Belinda an Affrican, humbly shews: that seventy years have rolled away, since she on the banks of the Rio de Valta, received her existence – the mountains Covered with spicy forests, the valleys loaded with the richest fruits, spontaneously produced; joined to that happy temperature of air to exclude excess; would have yielded her the most compleat felicity, had not her mind received early impressions of the cruelty of men, whose faces were like the moon, and whose Bows and Arrows were like the thunder and lightning of the Clouds. – The idea of these, the most dreadful of all Enemeies, filled her infant slumbers with horror, and her noontide moments with evil apprehensions! – But her affrighted imagination, in its most alarming extension, never represented the distress equal to what she hath since really experienced – for before she had Twelve years enjoyed the fragrance of her native groves, and e’er she realized, that Europeans placed their happiness in the yellow dust which she carelessly marked with her infant footsteps. – even when she, in a sacred grove, with each hand in that of a tender Parent, was paying her devotions to the great Orisa who made all things – an armed band of white men, driving many of her Countrymen in Chains, ran into the hallowed shade! – could the Tears, the sighs and supplications, bursting from Tortured Parental affliction, have blunted the keen edge of Avarice, she might have been rescued from Agony, which many of her Country’s Children have felt, but which none hath ever described, – in vain she lifted her supplicating voice to an insulted father, and her guiltless hands to a dishonored Deity! She was ravished from the bosom of her Country, from the arms of her friends – while the advanced age of her Parents, rendering them unfit for servitude, cruelly separated her from them forever!
Scenes which her imagination never conceived of, – a floating World – the sporting Monsters of the deep – and the familiar meetings of the Billows and the clouds, stove, but in vain to divert her melancholly attention, from three hundred Affricans in chains, suffering the most excruciating torments; and some of them rejoicing, that the pangs of death came like a balm to their wounds. Once more her eyes were blest with a Continent – but alas! How unlike the Land where she received her being! Here all things appeared unpropitious – she learned to catch the Ideas, marked by the sounds of language only to know that her doom was Slavery, from which death alone was to emancipate her – What did it avail her, that the walls of her Lord were hung with Splendor, and that the dust troden underfoot in her native Country, crowded his Gates with sordid worshipers – the Laws had rendered her incapable of receiving property – and though she was a free moral agent, accountable for her own actions, yet she never had a moment at her own disposal!
Fifty years her faithful hands have been compelled to ignoble servitude for the benefit of an Isaac Royall, until!, as if Nations must be agitated, and the world convulsed for the preservation of the freedom which the Almighty Father intended for all the human Race, the present war was Commenced – The terror of men armed in the Cause of freedom, complelled her master to fly – and to breathe away his Life in a Land, where, Lawlless domination sits enthroned – pouring bloody outrage and cruelty on all who dare to be free.
The face of your Petitioner, is now marked with the furrows of time, and her frame bending under the oppression of years, while she, by the Laws of the Land, is denied the employment of one morsel of that immense wealth, apart whereof hath been accumilated by her own industry, and the whole ugmented by her servitude.
WHEREFORE, casting herself at your feet if your honours, as to a body of men, formed for the extirpation of vassalage, for the reward of Virtue, and the just return of honest industry – she prays, that such allowance may be made her out of the Estate of Colonel Royall, as will prevent her, and her more infirm daughter, from misery in the greatest extreme, and scatter comfort over the short and downward path of their lives.
Two parts of Belinda’s account need to be interpreted rather than read literally. First, she wrote that she was captured as a twelve-year-old girl by “an armed band of white men.” In fact, although Europeans sometimes kidnapped Africans on the coast, they were unable to go inland to capture slaves. It was African raiders and warriors from other areas that captured slaves and sold them to European slave traders on the coast in exchange for weapons, ammunition, rum (including New England and Medford rum), and other commodities. By substituting white men as her captors, Belinda (or Prince Hall, the abolitionist who is thought to have helped her) may have been arguing a case by placing moral responsibility where it ultimately belonged: on white Europeans and North Americans who initiated the Atlantic slave trade and profited most from it.
The second part of Belinda’s account of her childhood home that requires interpretation is her statement that she was captured in the sacred grove of “the great Orisa who made all things.” “Orisa” is the term for “deity” among Yoruba speakers far to the east, in present-day Nigeria. Although some Yoruba deities were adopted by people further west, including Ewe- speaking peoples, these people gave deities the name “vodun.” Other Ewe deities are known as “tro” or “trowo.” The term “orisa” did not travel with them, and is unknown in the Volta region. The origin of the name “orisa” is a mystery. It may be that either Belinda or Prince Hall knew people who had been taken from a Yoruba-speaking area. By describing a god “who made all things,” Belinda or Prince Hall may have wished to emphasize that Africans have civilizations and religious ideas that are worthy of white Christian Americans’ respect.
This petition to the court was a reminder to the Northern Colonies that slavery existed during the American Revolution. It challenged the stereotype of the submissive slave and represented a new strategy to end slavery.
Callie House was a leader of the National Ex-Slave Mutual Relief, Bounty and Pension Association, one of the first organizations to campaign for reparations for slavery in the United States.
How about Callie House? I honor Callie House who was born a slave in Ruthersford County, in 1812. At 36 years old she founded the National Ex-Slave Mutual Bounty and Pension Association in 1897. She along with Isiah Dickerson traveled to former slave states to encourage joining the organization. With many participants throughout the states the organization was eager to petition Congress for a bill that would grant payments (reparations), mutual aid for burial expenses. Their grass roots advocacy grew a membership to the hundreds of thousands formerly enslaved residents all over the country. This growth was unwanted by the government, and they used 3 agencies to find a way to stop this movement. The Federal Bureau of Pensions, The Department of Justice and the Post Office Department worked together to spy on the organization looking for anything they could find to end this uprising. On September 1899, The Post Office Department issued a fraud order, without evidence, making it illegal to send mail, cash or money orders. Callie resisted by invoking the 1st, 14th and 15th amendment as well as hiring an attorney. Congress rejected the petition as if it were to not be taken seriously and postponed it indefinitely. House heard of the rejection and reminded the Commissioner that the Constitution granted residents the right to file grievances of redress.
When Dickerson passed in 1909 Callie became the leader of the MRB&PA and organizer. The restrictions from the Post Office Department placed constraints on the organization in the coming years. In 1915 House decided to take her petition to the courts. Johnson vs McAdoo was a class action lawsuit filed in US Federal Court requesting reparations for slavery in the amount of 68 million dollars. This amount was cotton tax money collected from 1862 to 1868 and held by the U.S. Treasury Department. A former slave H. N. Johnson led the charge as the Plaintiff against U.S. Secretary of the Treasury William G. McAdoo. The United States Supreme Court denied the claim agreeing with the decision of the Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia. To date this was the 1st litigation hearing regarding reparations for American Chattel Slavery in US federal court documented.
Honoring a local champion in Maryland fighting to create a Reparations Commission is County Council Member Wanika B. Fisher esq. In 2020 Delegate Wanika Fisher along with 45 other Delegates sponsored House Bill 1201 the Harriet Tubman Community Investment Act to establish a Reparations Commission for African Descendants of Chattel Slavery in Maryland. The bill was referred to committee after 1st reading along with HB0121 the previous year. In 2022 Delegate Fisher along with 27 other Delegates sponsored House Bill 0594, this bill was also referred to committee after 1st reading. On Wednesday March 1st, 2023 House Bill 0875 sponsored by Delegates McCaskill, Ruth, Addison, Charkoudian, Crutchfield, Kaiser, Lopez, Phillips, and White will be presented at 1pm. House Bill 0409 sponsored by Delegate Acevero will also be heard. These bills, again, will establish a State of Maryland Reparations Commission. I will submit this as my testimony on my family’s behalf as a Descendant of Chattel Slavery in Maryland.
I am LaWann Stribling, born LaWann Pendleton to parents Warren Pendleton and Narvest Thomas Pendleton. I’ve been on an 11-year journey to trace my family heritage via Ancestry.com. Tracing my paternal side, I learn that my Grandmother Eleanora Pendleton Bailey, born in Washington DC, parents are Henry Pendleton born in Washington DC 1910 and Eleanor E. Taylor Pendleton born in New Jersey approximately 1910. My Great Grandfather Henry’s parents are James Pendleton born in Accomack County Virginia 1869 and Great Great Grandmother Ida Smallwood Pendleton born in Maryland 1885. Her parents my Great Great Great Grandparents Sarah Garner Smallwood born in Calvert Maryland 1867 and Henson Smallwood born in Maryland 1864. The 1870 census has Harris Lot Charles Maryland listed for the residence. By 1890 they were living in Petersville MD, moved to Washington DC in 1894 and back to Petersville MD in 1900. By 1937 they were living in Frederick MD. Henson’s parents Hanson Smallwood born 1839 and Eliza Sinkfield 1844, my Great Great Great Great Grandparents were born in Maryland. My ancestors were farm hands, laborers, oystermen and servants enslaved in Charles County MD, Petersville, Frederick MD, Accomack County, Va, Madison Orange, Va, North Carolina and Florida. We deserve everything our ancestors built. The ability to have this service free of charge to search for your ancestors should be included with reparations!
Searching through Slavery files in Maryland I find a relationship between 2 families that owned slaves who were also law makers. According to Branson Cook Geneology, “Robert Hanson and Bayne Smallwood were among the General Assembly delegates who considered Acts involving impositions on negroes, imported liquor and Irish servants. One of the goals was to see to it that a minimal number of Irish papists (Catholics) were allowed to live in Maryland. This illustrates that some of our forefathers were quite prejudice against certain races and religions, even though the Constitution, the Federalist Papers and other founding documents argued for equality of both. Of course, these Acts in Maryland were taking place about 30-35 years before the Revolutionary War, and the delegation was still loyal to the British Crown. It is also possible that they were simply following the desires of the British Crown and may not have believed in this sort of lawmaking. At least one thing is certain – general public opinion began to change before the ratification of the Constitution, with the exception of attitudes toward slaves. Slavery was still alive and well for more than a century after these Acts were considered. Census records in 1790 and 1800 show that both the Hansons and Smallwood’s had quite a few slaves. One such person, Hoskins Hanson, had 32 slaves recorded in the 1790 Charles County census. (Hoskins was the probable first cousin of Mary).
1790 CENSUS (semi-alphabetical)
Henry M Hanson Not Stated, Charles, MD 1790 (1-0-0) 7 slaves – Image 13
In closing it is my opinion that every Descendant of Chattel Slavery is owed reparations. Addressing the foundations of why I am still living paycheck to paycheck after over 30 years of being employed is essential for reparative justice. I come from generations of brokenness and found myself homeless and alone on my 17th birthday. I had my 1st child at 18 years old, raised him in a single parent household with no community or family support. He is 27 now and asked me why didn’t I set him up for his future? He is comparing his life to the lives of some of his peers who grew up in a nurturing, supportive and financially stable home environment. The effects of Chattel Slavery, Post Reconstruction, Jim Crow Laws, Redlining Communities, Marginalized Banking and Education and The War on Drugs have created generations of poverty, generational trauma, curses, ptsd and lost hope. Reparations will begin to repair the effects of over 400 years of unimaginable living conditions. Reparations would provide a way for families living in disenfranchised environments to afford a way to provide a better education, better living arrangements, better choices in food and health care as well as freedom in the class hungry society.
Barbados Prime Minister, The Honorable Mia Amor Mottley To Deliver Major Address On Reparations
Don Rojas, Director of Communications and International Relations for the Institute of the Black World 21stCentury (IBW) received confirmation today that the Honorable Mia Amor Mottley has confirmed to attendState of the Black World Conference Vas a Special Guest to deliver a Keynote Address on reparations. She will join His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of Ghana in addressing the Conference which is organized around the theme:Global Africans Rising, Empowerment Reparations and Healing.
Prime Minister Mottley has emerged as a major figure in the Caribbean advocating for stronger ties with the African Union and a global emphasis on reparatory justice with Africa playing a more active role. She has called for a global summit on reparations in collaboration with the CARICOM Reparations Commission, the African Union, National African American Reparations Commission and reparations commissions from various regions of the Global Black Diaspora.
“We are honored and delighted that Prime Minister Mia Mottley has accepted our invitation to play a major role in State of the Black World Conference V,” Dr. Ron Daniels, President of IBW stated. “She has shown an eagerness to work with President Addo of Ghana in expanding and strengthening the global reparations movement. Once Vice-President Francia Marquez from Colombia confirms, we will have a formidable trio of leaders embracing the cause of reparatory justice as the ‘human rights issue of the 21stCentury’ as proclaimed by Professor Hilary Beckles.”
Mia Mottley will be presented the IBW Legacy Award at the Global Women’s Leadership Summit at the Conference for her historic role as the first woman Prime Minister of Barbados. Firsts are no stranger to this woman of distinction as noted in her bio. “Mia Amor Mottley has lived a public life of firsts – first female leader of the Barbados Labour Party and the Opposition; first female Attorney General, a post she held for five years; and youngest ever Queen’s Counsel in Barbados. On 25 May 2018, Mottley became the eighth Prime Minister of Barbados and the first woman to hold the post.
The White House represents a dual legacy:
It is important to note that there is no consensus on the specific form that reparations should take. Some people believe that reparations should be financial, while others believe that they should take the form of policy changes or social programs. There is also debate about who should be eligible for reparations, and how much they should receive. The issue of reparations is an important one to discuss. The history of slavery is a dark stain on American history, and its effects continue to be felt today. Reparations are one way to begin to address this history and create a more just and equitable society.
