Links to Introductory and Educational Videos with supporting resources

Presented via Zoom throughout October 2020

 

Introduction to the Restitution for Racism Group at ERUUF – by Chris Macon

 

Reparations for Racism – October 4 Service that introduced the RRG to the fellowship

What is the movement for reparations and restitution for racism, and how might we begin? 

Mary Davis and Chris Macon, co-leaders of ERUUF's Reparations for Racism group join Rev. Cayer to lead this service.  Music by Chris Macon and Kate Lewis.

 

Narrowing the Racial Wealth Gap – An educational discussion series

What have you heard about the racial wealth gap and about restitution?  Would you like the chance to learn more and to consider how UU values intersect with these ideas?  ERUUF's Restitution for Racism Group (RRG) is hosted a 4-session discussion focusing on these topics on Wednesday evenings in October.  We looked at some data - and some myths - about the racial wealth gap, along with the foundations for inequity that are baked into our country's housing, banking, tax, and employment systems.  We also looked at the case for restitution and reparations and what we as ERUUFians can actually do to work towards justice in this arena.  

Each virtual session included presentations, videos, and discussion.  Resources were provided for more in depth looks at the issues presented each week.  We designed these discussions for people who have studied racial justice issues.  If you acknowledge that white Americans have benefited at the expense of Black Americans and want to know more about what to do next, we encourage you to view the recorded presentations and the additional resources using the links provided below.  Note:  Our covenant protects the confidentiality of the participants during the breakout room discussions.  Those sections of the meetings were deleted.

For more information, please, contact Chris Macon or Jane Hewitt at .   

 

Oct 7 – Myths about the Racial Wealth Gap

Discussion leader:  Bill Davis, Chris Macon, Jane Hewitt 

Discussion guide:  What is the racial wealth gap?  Explain:  “The average white family is 10 times wealthier than the average black family.”  What are some of the myths about why black people in America do not have as much wealth as their white counterparts?

 

Oct 14 – How White Privilege Created and Sustains the Racial Wealth Gap

Discussion leaders:  Sally Franz, Jane Hewitt, Mary Davis

Discussion guide:  The legacy of slavery and Jim Crow law is still alive.  Current racial institutions still deprive black people in America of the value of their labor.  Whether due to one is a devoted racist or only complicit with racism, the current laws, policies, and practices systematically allow whites to benefit at the expense of blacks.

 

Oct 21 – The Case for Reparations

Discussion leaders:  Jim McRae, Mary Davis 

Discussion guide:  What is reparation (per Darity - acknowledgement, redress, and closure)?  Why are reparations due to black people in America? How has reparation for racism been made in the past?  

 

Oct 28 – Acts of Restitution

Discussion leaders:  Chris Macon, Gabriele Weinberger

Discussion guide:  How is restitution related to reparation?  What are the opportunities for restitution now?  What is charity versus restitution?

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SUPPORTING RESOURCES

(See individual discussion agendas for more details)

 

Discussion #1 –The Racial Wealth Gap 

• tv.  April 2019  Systemic Racism Explained. 5 minute video.  Systemic racism affects every area of life in the US. From incarceration rates to predatory loans, and trying to solve these problems requires changes in major parts of our system. Here's a closer look at what systemic racism is, and how we can solve it. 
• Reich, R.  December 2019.  How America Created Its Shameful Wealth Gap 6 minute video Co-Founder of Liberation in a Generation Solana Rice explains how a combination of institutional racism & white supremacy created America's racial wealth gap.
• April 2020.  Explained | Racial Wealth Gap. 17 minute video.  Senator Cory Booker describes the racial wealth gap in America using his family story.
• Darity, W. et a.  April 2018.  What We Get Wrong About Closing the Racial Wealth Gap. Samuel DuBois Cook Center on Social Equity.  Duke University.  (Condensed version)
• Samuel Dubois Cook Center for Social Equality.  April 2018..  What We Get Wrong About Closing The Racial Wealth Gap 2 minute video.  The ten common myths about the racial wealth gap in the United States are presented to debunk ideas that are frequently lifted up as “solutions” to the problem. (Note:  This video was used in the meeting.)
• Education Week.  March 2014.  Life Inside the Projects. 4 minute video  A single mother of four describes what it's like to raise a family in Potomac Gardens, a massive 1960s-era public housing project in Washington. 
• Samuel Dubois Cook Center for Social Equality.  April 2018..  What We Get Wrong About Closing The Racial Wealth Gap 2 minute video.  The ten common myths about the racial wealth gap in the United States are presented to debunk ideas that are frequently lifted up as “solutions” to the problem.
• Education Week.  March 2014.  Life Inside the Projects. 4 minute video  A single mother of four describes what it's like to raise a family in Potomac Gardens, a massive 1960s-era public housing project in Washington. (Note: This video was used in the meeting.)

 

Discussion #2 – How White Privilege Created and Sustains the Racial Wealth Gap

• Showing Up for Racial Justice.  Accessed September, 2020.  White Benefits:  Got Privilege?  A short web-article that details the privileges white Americans enjoy.
• Hip Hughes Video.  January 2016.   Jim Crow and America's Racism Explained.  18 minute video.  Gives the legal underpinnings of racial segregation following the Civil War.
• Public Broadcasting System.  September 2018.  .RACE – THE POWER OF AN ILLUSION How the Racial Wealth Gap Was Created A 30 minute video that is an excerpt from Episode 3 - The House We Live In. A discussion of how the racial wealth gap was created and sustained from after WWII to present.  (Note: This video was used in the meeting.)

 

Discussion #3 - The Case for Reparation

• Asante-Muhammad, D.  2019.  Ten structural reforms to close the racial wealth divide.  Ten Solutions to Bridge the Racial Wealth Divide A blog by inequality.org.
• Oliver, M. L. and T. M. Shapiro.  2019. Disrupting the Racial Wealth Gap.  A feature article in context.org.  
• Martin, C. E.  May 2019.  Opinion | Closing the Racial Wealth Gap New York Times.
• Noah, Trevor.  March 2019.  Reparations & White Privilege - Between the Scenes | The Daily Show 4 minute video
• Ta-Nehisi Coates and Bill Moyers.  May 2014. Facing the Truth:  The Case for Reparation A 24 minute video of a discussion of Coates’ 2014 Atlantic Magazine article that rekindled the reparations discussion in America.
• Scott, E.  July 2019.   What Obama Actually Said in His Rejection of Reparations. Washington Post article.
• Hockett, R.  July 2020.  2020 A time for Change. Examples of restitution for racism based on the Reconstruction Era  An interview by Yahoo Finance.
• Al Zezeera. March 2016. Is it time for reparations in America? 4 minute video that makes a comprehensive case for reparations to Black Americans at many levels.  (Note:  This video was used in the meeting.)
• Coates, T. and other famous blacks.  June 2019.  Slavery reparations bill debated in the US House committee. A 4 minute video on The Guardian (Note:  This video was used in the meeting.)

 

Discussion #4 – How Can We Make Restitution for Racism? 

• Jones, Thai.  January 2020.  Slavery reparations seem impossible. In many places, they’re already happening. Washington Post.  
• Nellie Peyton, Christine Murray.  June 24, 2020: Calls for reparations gain steam as U.S. reckons with racial injustice.  Reuters News.
• S. African American Redress Network - A collaboration between Howard and Columbia Universities, this project highlights local reparation efforts.
• Marohn, Charles.  Sept. 2020.  The Local Case for Reparations.org.  Detailed history of redlining and proposed approaches to reparations by investing in ‘redlined’ communities.
• Guilford For All.  An organization of citizens with the objective of making life in Guilford County, NC equal for all.  A project of the Carolina Federation which seeks to bring local people together across race and the rural-urban divide to build political and electoral power in their own communities and across North Carolina.
• Coming To The Table Coming to the Table provides 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.
• Voices of Color by Insider. How White People Can Help the Black Community.  Michael Eric Dyson, professor of sociology at Georgetown University, and author of "Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America," reveals a plan for reparations called IRAs, or Individual Reparations Accounts.  (Note:  This video was used in the meeting.)