The conversation about reparations for slavery in the United States is not new. Yet, still, many don’t understand what reparations are or what they could be.
A Northeastern University panel discussion, “Understanding the Reparations Movement,” held in advance of Juneteenth examined the history of the cause and what’s being done today at the federal, state and local levels. Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, Emancipation Day and Black Independence Day, is celebrated annually on June 19 to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States. The day was recognized as a federal holiday in 2021.
While the topic of reparations can be divisive, Deborah Jackson, a member of Northeastern’s Reparations Research Team and managing director of the Center for Law Equity and Race, said the point of reparations is to raise everyone up.
