Nationwide — Author, public speaker, and consultant J Mase III has been spending his days as of late, teaching Reparations Frameworks to organizations, community members, faith spaces and schools. As February begins to rise on the horizon and Black History Month is ushered in, many are wondering what is the next step beyond fighting to preserve and honor Black History? Some community leaders feel the answer is very clear: Reparations. While attacks on Critical Race Theory, African American Studies, voting rights and even basic diversity & inclusion efforts have continued, demands for reparations have been ramping up.When asked why so many get hostile about the idea of reparations for Black Americans he says, “Much of the public conversation about reparations is often led by people, with huge platforms, whose families have profited greatly from the Transatlantic Slave Trade or the racial hierarchy tied to it. Think about politicians like Mitch McConnell, Ron DeSantis, or media personalities like Tucker Carlson, who will often paint reparations as ‘impossible’ or ‘unfair’. They do so, because they feel as though they will be personally implicated.”
Sharing what he believes most people get wrong about the idea of reparations he added, “Most people think that reparations is only about money. Don’t get me wrong (laughs), redistributing money and resources is a HUGE part of it, because that racialized wealth gap is real, but there are other factors, such as telling the full truth of what happened and how institutions and individuals were involved. We are experiencing an unprecedented amount of disinformation that is very intentional in trying to hide history and obfuscate responsibility for ongoing harm. We have to tell the truth about the impacts of the Transatlantic Slave Trade and its current impacts now more than ever- and we have to be loud about it.”
J Mase III has been working to create conversations and implementation plans surrounding reparations with some of his colleagues, in the hopes of making reparations seem more possible to people who just need more information on how to move forward. Sharing, “Reparations is not just something we have to wait on the state for. It can happen through organizations that realize their role in this country’s history of slavery. It can happen between individuals. It can happen intersectionally and with attention to Black folks who are disabled, or Trans, or who have been incarcerated. Oftentimes, people who are wanting to get the work of racial justice done are waiting for some other entity to ordain them. Reparations doesn’t have to be this thing that takes twelve committees and thirty years to roll out. We as communities invested in making amends happen for historical, and current racial injustices, can do this work now.”
In February, J Mase III will be announcing dates for the next round of his ongoing virtual training series, “All That DEI & Still No Reparations?!?!,” alongside colleagues Dane Figueroa Edidi and YaliniDream. This series is open to community members and organizations. He is also available for media interviews, consultations and speaking engagements.
For more information on All That DEI & Still No Reparations?!?!, visit his official website and sign up for the newsletter at https://jmaseiii.com/all-that-dei-still-no-reparations-a-training/
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