Reparations and Truth Telling w Dr David Ragland

The Ethical Rainmaker

Dr. David Ragland is an inspirational figure and activist in the new reparations and reconciliation movements…and there is so much GOLD in this episode and so many references...it will take longer than I have capacity for to document it all for this episode. That’s the beauty we get when talking with professional educators. Here are major themes:
Dr. David Ragland...

• Is co-founder of The Truth Telling Project
• Director of the Grassroots Reparations Campaign
• Is recognized for his research on advocacy through Georgetown U’s Advocacy Labs
• Inducted into the Collegium of Scholars at Morehouse College
• Senior Bayard Rustin Fellow at the Fellowship for Reconciliation
• a board member for the Peace and Justice Studies Association
• ...and he talks about how the Ferguson uprising is central to his story.

Check out these SIX articles he’s written for YES! Magazine:

• Part 1: Reparations Are A Peace Treaty
• Part 2: With Reparations, We Must Demand Repair - and Heal Ourselves
• Part 3: On Reparations, Let Impacted Communities Lead the Way
• Part 4: Beyond Compensation for Reparations
• Part 5: A Culture Shift Can Only Happen With Reparations and Truth Telling
• Part 6: He mentions that he hasn’t written yet! But we also found a much earlier article from 2017 - In Truth and Reconciliation, First Things First - The Truth

These are the five areas outlined by the UN for reparation:

1. Compensation
2. Restitution
3. Satisfaction
4. Guarantees of Non-Repeat
5. Healing

Need to know:

HR 40: HR 40 is proposed legislation - the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act. The legislation, which was first introduced nearly 30 years ago, establishes a commission to examine slavery and discrimination in the United States from 1619 to the present and recommend appropriate remedies. It refers to the broken promise of 40 acres and a mule, to freed slaves, by General Sherman, in 1865. In the US there has never been significant truth and reconciliation actions taken for enslavement or for native american genocide, as there have been in other countries like South Africa has, for apartheid.

The newly elected Congresswoman Corey Bush (Missouri) and Dr. Ragland co-founded the Truth Telling Project with her after meeting during the Ferguson protests.

Resmaa Menakem is mentioned and of course we love his body of work including his book “My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending our Hearts and Bodies” which Fleur Larsen mentioned in Season 1. You can check out his interview with Krista Tippet too.

Dr. Ragland talks about our mutual friendEdgar Villanueva and the Decolonizing Wealth Project as well as Liberated Capital, a reparations giving circle...

Reparations is the repair of moral and material harm.

The Truth Telling Project: A truth process or healing, created as a response to police violence.

In this episode we say the names of these remembered folx who have been murdered by police and those whose names are not said, will not be forgotten. I’ve tried to link to pieces that share a bit about who they were...

• Tamir Rice, objects of care
• Mike Brown, rebuilt memorial
• Kajieme Powell, anniversary march
• Ma’Khia Bryant, vigil
• George Floyd, sacred space
• Sandra Bland, memorial

And this is my favorite quote, because we, societally, never talk about what was stolen...and often we refer to it as bringing “civilization” right?
DR: "I'm kidnapping you Kuta Kente. Now, your name is Toby. Your religion is Christianity. And you can't play drum no more. You can't cook the food you ate no more. Your kids are going to be slaves, and their kids are going to be slaves.”

MM: “And they will learn nothing of your culture previously because it will be outlawed for you to practice it.”

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The Ethical Rainmaker is produced in Seattle, Washington by Kasmira Hall, and Isaac Kaplan-Woolner, and socials by Rachelle Pierce. Michelle Shireen Muri is the executive producer and this pod is sponsored by Freedom Conspiracy.