PDA has long supported the movement for reparations for Black American descendants of slaves. One of our closest allies in Congress, the late John Conyers, would reintroduce his bill H.R.40 (“to establish a Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for Black Americans) every two years—and PDA would help build support for the legislation. After Conyers’ departure from Congress, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee became the lead sponsor of H.R.40, growing to have 196 cosponsors in the last Congress, by far the highest ever.

Even more impressive have been recent victories in municipalities and State Houses. Our guest this Sunday, Jeffrey Trask, will update us on these developments. RSVP here.

PDA Executive Director Alan Minsky is a strong advocate for reparations: “You only have to look at the persistence of the massive racial wealth gap in the United States (roughly a ten to one ratio) to see that the damage done by slavery and Jim Crow is not  a thing of the past, but is very much ongoing. The way to rectify this outrageous injustice is through reparations designed to eliminate the racial wealth gap.”

Jeffrey Trask, PhD., is the co-leader of the Champaign-Urbana Reparations Coalition (CURC), a group dedicated to see reparations paid to African American residents of Champaign County, Illinois. In addition to his role with CURC, Dr. Trask is the founder of the Champaign County Christian Health Center (CCCHC), an adjunct professor at Tulane University and the University of Illinois (UIUC), an adjunct pastor at New Covenant Fellowship, and an entrepreneur. Jeff also volunteers as the board chair for the Illinois Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (IAFCC) and treasurer for the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Advocacy for Justice Committee.