Dear Editor:
On Feb. 21, the Hill District Community Development Corporation held a very important film and panel discussion at Duquesne University on the issue of Black Reparations. The Black Reparations movement is on the rise across the United States. It is on the rise here in Allegheny County. It is one of the most important issues of our time–contrary to all of its many opponents. Keep in mind, given the world-wide and growing crises we live in, all things are possible, including Black reparations.
In addition to the widely discussed reparation’s compensation such as land, money, free education, and free health care, the on-going Black reparations conversations have the potential to ‘Mobilize,’ and ‘Educate’ the national Black community and that could raise the level of Black political organization to unpresented heights. And that could give the Black community more power to wage the everyday struggles we must wage for freedom, equity, and justice.
But this will not happen, it cannot happen, and it should not happen unless the national Black community makes it happen.
The Feb. 21 HCDC program “mobilized,” it assembled in one place, a very important cross-section of some veteran political activists, Khalid Raheem for one, some very prominent retired local Black educators Dr. Harry Clark, and Ernestine Reed, for two, the Honorable Judge Joe Washington and the Honorable Judge Cynthia Baldwin, local Black scholars on African American life, along with a very impressive turn out of local African Americans who are very astute on the Black experience in Allegheny County. This illustrates the wide local interests in reparations.
The reception, film, panel, and open discussion introduced this astute audience to many like-minded local Black folks they did not know. That is of the utmost immediate importance and in the long run.
We must build the concrete material social, political, economic and cultural originations to wage the struggles along with the political structures to win and sustain the victory.
As one member from the floor emphasized, the Black community is confronted daily with growing political dangers on all fronts from banning Black literature, to attacks on Affirmative Action, to attacks on Black voting rights and more.
The Hill CDC said it will continue these vital Black reparations community conversations.
We can be certain that at this very moment all across Allegheny County more and more African American institutions are joining in the struggle.
And the Black community must keep in mind that along with the widely discussed reparations compensation, the movement can also significantly, substantially, and dramatically increase our power to “mobilize,” “educate” and “organize” ourselves to wage the mounting struggles against the anti-democratic threats we face, if we make that happen.
Fred Logan
Homewood Brushton
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