EXECUTIVE ORDER: $50B DOWN PAYMENT FOR REPARATIONS NOW!

Introduction

The 2001 UN World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa established three facts: (1) the Transatlantic Slave Trade is a crime against humanity; (2) the basis of this crime was economic; (3) compensation for this crime has no statutes of limitations for which descendants are due reparations. The 400 grassroots activists who traveled to Durban (View The Durban 400 documentary here) advanced the international struggle for reparations due to the descendants of slavery and reignited the claims for reparations in the United States that go back to the 1820s.  

WE DEMAND…

An Executive Order signed by the U.S. President immediately authorizing a $50 billion Down Payment for Reparations to invest in state-of-the-art healthcare facilities in Black communities.

WHY?

• Reparations is a debt owed by the Federal government- Slavery and continued acts of racism against Black people do not occur within the confines of specific states and localities, therefore reparations at the local and state levels are not enough.
• Money for wars, but not healthcare- Black people reject all excuses from those in power who claim that the financial burden of reparations to Black people is too great, as they continue to fund genocides, foreign proxy wars, and the violent militarization of our communities.
• Self-determination is a basic human right- Everything that has been offered to Black people in this country has been in opposition to our dignity and peoplehood; Black people exercising self-determination over our lives is a fundamental first step towards restoring our communities. 

NATIONAL CALL TO ACTION: 

In recent months we have seen the legislative creation of local task forces and commissions implemented to study reparations, with the expressed outcome to develop recommendations for how Reparations should be enacted. We support these local efforts, but they are not enough. There are plenty of studies that exist that speak truth to the validity and feasibility of Reparations for Black people. The nearly 300-year debt is beyond overdue and the bill for continued racism is getting more costly with each year that goes by. 

Over 2 years ago, Joe Biden was presented with a plan to make good on his election promise that he would “have Black people’s back” for being the most supportive constituency in his 2020 presidential victory. The plan was to establish a $50 Billion down payment to address one of the most fundamental ways in which Black communities suffer, healthcare. We are now less than a month away from another presidential election and we must think beyond November 5th. We are moving past Biden, past Harris, and past Trump. We are focused on THE WAY FORWARD in 2025. 

Whoever ends up sitting in the Oval Office must feel the pressure of an organized force of Black folks (and committed non-Black allies) across the country who have a set of demands that directly address the subhuman conditions we have been relegated to endure for far too long. The way forward is pressuring executive action that is overdue and demands immediate repair backed by international law. Black people have waited long enough, we cannot fight for anything if we do not have our health, and so we will not sit idly by while our people die from lack of quality and accessible healthcare. Either Trump or Harris will be elected president on November 5th and take office on January 20th, and no matter who that individual is, our demand is clear: PRESIDENTIAL EXECUTIVE ORDER FOR A $50B DOWN PAYMENT TO INVEST IN STATE-OF-THE-ART HEALTHCARE FACILITIES IN OUR COMMUNITIES!   

SIGN THE PETITION:

This petition aims to get our people organized around the issue of reparations and to mount the necessary national pressure for an Executive Order for Reparations in the form of a $50 Billion down payment investing in the establishment of community-controlled state-of-the-art healthcare facilities in Black communities across the country. 

 

By signing this petition, you are aligning yourself with this demand and affirming your support for this demand as THE WAY FORWARD for reparations.  

BEYOND THE PETITION:

Signing the petition is the first step toward creating NATIONAL pressure on the Executive Order… the work does not stop here. Local and statewide pressure needs to simultaneously be created to get ALL our people invested in this campaign to cease and repair the structured violence enacted on Black communities that is the basic pattern of U.S. society. Beyond signing the petition, we’ve put together a toolkit to help folks take the initiative in their own communities (bit.ly/REPARATIONSNOW), and here are a few examples of how you and your community can get involved:

●      Raise awareness: Talk to your family friends, neighbors, coworkers, etc. about the fight for reparations and direct them to sign the petition if they are aligned with the struggle for Black people’s self-determination.We need national unity in our demand for reparations so that we are part of the international struggle that we helped start in Durban in 2001. View the Durban 400 documentary and discuss the currciulum in the toolkit. 

●      Host Reparations meetings within your own community: Put together community gatherings at your local churches, schools, and other venues to engage a broader audience and provide educational information on the history and significance of Reparations. 

●      Pressure Local Elected Officials and Media Outlets: This is a grassroots effort and most of the people who claim to represent Black communities cannot be assumed to serve our best interests. We need to know whether those among us who claim to represent us are willing to advocate for action and not just talk.

●      Work Directly with the December 12th Movement Reparations Committee: We welcome any individual who is willing to get involved more deeply with our work towards our demand for Reparations being met. This is a collective effort and ist going to take all of us to get this work done. 

WE DO NOT ASK FOR ANY CONTRIBUTIONS ELECTRONICALLY. WE REQUEST THAT SUPPORTERS REACH OUT DIRECTLY TO HELP ORGANIZE AND SPREAD THE MESSAGE.

CONTACT US: email us directly

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