On this Juneteenth, KCRW speaks with two people who’ve been working on the issue of reparations for African Americans in California and elsewhere: Cheryl Grills, Ph.D., a member of the statewide task force on reparations, which is the first of its kind in the country, and a professor at Loyola Marymount University; plus Kavon Ward, a co-founder of Where Is My Land, an organization that's aimed at reclaiming Black land across the United States.
“It’s as though there's this anti-Black knee-jerk reaction when you hear Black folk and you hear compensation. ‘No.’ When you hear Black folk and you hear wrongs done and racism and racial stress and trauma. ‘No, get over it, stop playing the race card,’’ says Grills. “So we as a society, we have not yet come to terms, not just with the original sin of enslavement and what was done against Native Americans and other groups. We have as a country pretty much covered up the truth about the history of this country. … People don't understand the through line that what happened during enslavement didn't end with emancipation. The levels of oppression just morphed and mutated.”
She points out that white people were hurt during the process too. “They were fed a false sense of who they are, and their relevance and centrality in American life. They were sold a bill of goods about who we are as Black people so that they could feel a measure of status that says, ‘I may be poor, but at least I'm not Black.’”
The idea of financial reparations has been a point of contention surrounding the work of the task force. But Grills says the group has more than 115 recommendations for repair. Monetary compensation is only one of them. Others include wellness centers statewide and mental health services catered to Black people’s needs.
Ward says she still has hope, because the Bruce family finally got their Manhattan Beach land back (and then sold it for $20 million). She adds, “We're working with about, well, we've got submissions for about 700 families. They have more hope as a result of that land return, so they keep me inspired.”
Grills says her students at Loyola Marymount University give her hope for the future too. “I feel like we are in good hands with the up-and-coming generation. Their analysis is sharp, their commitment to truth and justice is unquestionable, and their ability to articulate the issues leaves you full.”