John, it’s time to celebrate Black August.
Black August honors Black freedom fighters and organizers from the past and present — many of whom were killed by the state, imprisoned for defending Black lives, or are increasingly surveilled for bringing attention to the appalling prison conditions of America.
There is no better time than now to demand reparations. While we honor the bravery in Black August, we should also demand solutions to the problem of white supremacy.
For decades, the prevalence of systemic racism has usurped resources from Black communities. They’ve unjustly imprisoned members of the community, placed obstacles in our path to thrive, and pulled opportunities whenever they’ve gotten the chance. We have been fighting an uphill battle for over 400 years since slavery.
We have served and built America, and have fought to change this country for the better — all without adequate resources to uplift our communities on an equal footing.
Reparations are about Black liberation. Reparations are about the demand for resources needed to repair the historical and ongoing damage to descendants of Africans enslaved in the United States.
The first demands for reparations were made by enslaved people pre-Civil War era, and since emancipation, there have been long-standing movements demanding reparations throughout the U.S., the Caribbean, Africa, and the Diaspora.
When systems of white supremacy go unaddressed, we end up with various forms of harm against Black people. The lack of accountability on the U.S. government's part is why we're still seeing policies that are quite literally made to hold Black people down.
Structural discrimination will only be fully addressed through reparations and would encompass the full range of past and ongoing harms to Black people. We need to fight harder than ever to demand reparations from the government.
Sign the petition to President Biden and Congress demanding reparations >>
While we have many strengths, we cannot ignore the disproportionate socio-economic gaps. Black people in the U.S. have been forced to grapple with structural discrimination — experiencing the highest rates of poverty, unemployment, low wages, health disparities, incarceration inequities, and so much more. We must repair not just individual injuries but transform historically white supremacist institutions into ones that enable Black liberation.
We've said it many times before: Black Lives Mattering is the minimum. We deserve to thrive, not just survive. Sign the petition demanding reparations from the government NOW! >>
In solidarity,
Black Lives Matter
