• Business

by Daniel Johnson

June 8, 2025

Brookings Metro Unveils Dashboard To Help Cities Track And Close Gaps In Black Business Ownership

As Brookings advised in 2020, the key to unlocking the American economy lies in increasing investments in Black-owned businesses.

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Brookings Metro’s Center for Community Uplift recently revealed its new Black Business Parity Dashboard, a tool that it will use to help policymakers, organizers, and other community members to make the potential impact of Black residents entrepreneurship a reality through providing data that shows what those businesses would look like if they were equitably funded in proportion to their population share.

According to Brookings, the tool examined Atlanta, which is seen as one of America’s Black Meccas, and found that if Black businesses matched the population share of Atlanta, its 14,000 Black-owned businesses would become 63,000 Black-owned businesses, a dramatic increase.

Similarly, in Detroit, where there are almost 2,800 Black-owned businesses, if that number was adjusted along the lines of Detroit’s Black population share, it would result in more than 23,000 Black-owned firms, which would create approximately 460,000 jobs for Detroit’s metro area, which could contribute to the city’s economic recovery from decades of job and population losses.

The tool helps prove what a group of researchers asserted in their 2021 analysis of a deadly precondition for Black businesses for the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, the racial wealth divide, which also affects how Black businesses are invested in and discouraged from scaling up because they don’t have the capital necessary to expand their footprints.

According to the analysis from Dedrick Asante-Muhammad, Dr. Jared Ball, Jamie Buell, and Joshua Devine, “To produce more personal and community wealth from Black entrepreneurship, public and private sector spending should be intentionally channeled to Black-owned businesses.”

Although the findings of their research focus on the pandemic, their findings dovetail with the stated aims of the Black Business Parity Dashboard, which are to give city and community leaders the tools to visualize what a greater and more targeted investment in Black-owned businesses could produce in their metro areas.

Indeed, according to a 2024 analysis of the economic impact of Black-owned small businesses by The Reynolds Center for Business Journalism, per data from the 2021 Census; 161,031 Black-owned companies produced $206 billion in revenue, which suggests that if these businesses were quadrupled, which some of the models in the Dashboard say would be the case, that revenue number could become even more impressive.

As Brookings advised in 2020, the key to unlocking the American economy lies in increasing investments in Black-owned businesses, as they noted, “the underrepresentation of Black businesses is costing the U.S. economy millions of jobs and billions of dollars in unrealized revenues,” but their prescription for solving that problem then, as the Dashboard makes clear now, is to create parity for the nation’s Black-owned businesses.

According to Ashleigh Gardere, senior advisor to the president at PolicyLink, solutions for addressing the racial wealth gap can also be applied to Black-owned businesses. “DBE programs and small business training will never be enough to close the racial wealth gap in America—that’s just tinkering at the edges. We need racial equity standards in the private sector: from greater access to capital beyond traditional debt to new and reparative financial products, from private sector business opportunities to narrative change strategies that center and celebrate Black businesses.”

RELATED CONTENT: OPINION: Tariffs Are Squeezing Black-Owned Businesses—Here’s How We Fix It

• Celebrity News

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

June 8, 2025

Atlantic Starr Founder And R&B Singer Wayne Lewis Dead At 68

Lewis was a founding member of the R&B group that had reached chart-topping success in the '80s and '90s.

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Wayne Lewis, founding member and singer in R&B band Atlantic Starr, has died at 68.

Atlantic Starr announced the tragic news on social media. The singing group known for its R&B hits revealed that Lewis died for undisclosed reasons June 5.

“It’s with great sadness we have to post the passing of Wayne Lewis on June 5, 2025,” stated Atlantic Starr on Facebook. “Please keep the family in your prayers and respect there [sic] privacy #waynelewis #restinpeace #flyhigh Sunrise 4/13/1957 Sunset 6/5/2025 #restinpeaceWayne.”

Lewis co-founded the band in 1976 alongside his brothers, vocalist and guitarist David Lewis and Jonathan Lewis, who played trombone and keyboard. Formed in White Plains, New York, they found success on the R&B charts throughout the ’80s. Their single “Circles,” off their album “Brilliance,” was their first entry on the Billboard Hot 100. The group later reached the top of the chart with their classic hit “Always.”

The group originally started with multiple members outside the Lewis brothers, including drummer Porter Carroll Jr., bassist Clifford Archer, and percussionist-flutist Joseph Phillips. However, after inking a new deal with Warner Bros, they tightened the group to just the three brothers alongside Philips and a new lead singer, Barbara Weathers.

The group found R&B and pop success at the height of their career. They continued to score more hits throughout the late 80s and 90s, including 1989’s “My First Love.”

According to Deadline, the late musician played a major role in the group’s songwriting. He earned writing credits for the majority of their tracks alongside his brother, David. Atlantic Starr continued releasing music while performing at shows ahead of Lewis’ death. Although their last major impact on the charts was their 1992 song “Masterpiece,” which reached No. 3, Atlantic Starr released another album, “Metamorphosis,” in 2017.

Lewis is remembered for his impact with Atlantic Starr, providing vocals and playing keyboard for the band’s biggest hits, many of which he also co-wrote.

RELATED CONTENT: Singer Angie Stone Dies In Car Crash

• Politics

by Daniel Johnson

June 8, 2025

Trump Deploys National Guard To L.A.—Mayor Bass And Gov. Newsom Blast Downtown ICE Raids

California and Los Angeles leaders have reacted to Donald Trump calling in the National Guard by characterizing the move as an unnecessary escalation of tensions.

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California and Los Angeles leaders have reacted to Donald Trump calling in the National Guard by characterizing the move as an unnecessary escalation of tensions over ICE raids in Compton and Paramount, not a solution to a perceived problem.

According to NBC 4, approximately 2,000 National Guard members arrived in Los Angeles sometime during the early morning hours of June 8, as more protests are expected to occur throughout the day, following a memo issued by Trump authorizing the mobilization of the National Guard.

The Trump administration has collectively argued that the National Guard troops are necessary to restore peace after sporadic clashes between protestors, federal agents, and other law enforcement officials.

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However, according to the Associated Press, federal National Guard troops do not have the authority to carry out civilian law enforcement duties unless the Insurrection Act, an 18th-century wartime law, is invoked, which Trump’s memo did not accomplish.

Notably, the Insurrection Act was used in the past to protect the Little Rock Nine by President Dwight Eisenhower after Arkansas’s governor mobilized the state’s National Guard to keep them out of Central High School after the Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board decision entitled them to equal access to public schools.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signaled Trump’s willingness to use the military on Twitter (X) as he threatened to send in active duty Marines unless violence in Los Angeles stopped.

According to The Economist, Trump’s actions are not really about restoring law and order, but also contain a message directed at cities that resist his increasingly unpopular immigration agenda.

Karen Bass, Los Angeles’ mayor, struck a middle ground, calling for peace, but telling KTLA in a phone interview that she believes the response from the Trump administration is overtly political.

“I’m very disappointed that [Trump] chose to [deploy the National Guard] because it was just not necessary. To me, this is just completely unnecessary, and I think it’s the [Trump] administration just posturing,” Bass continued. “I’ve spoken to the governor several times…I have not yet talked to the president, but I have talked to officials high up in his administration, and I expressed to them that things were not out of control in the City of Los Angeles. Paramount had some issues, but I doubt very seriously that there is a need for the National Guard there either. To me, this is just political.”

Turning her attention to the protestors, Bass chided them to remain peaceful, “It is absolutely [the protesters’] right to exercise the First Amendment, but it is completely unacceptable for there to be any level of violence or vandalism of any type,” she said. “These are the very people who don’t want ICE to be involved…this [resulted] in the National Guard [being deployed].”

Newsom, meanwhile, told the AP that Trump’s bid to “take over” the National Guard is “purposefully inflammatory” and that it will “only escalate tensions.”

He continued, “LA authorities are able to access law enforcement assistance at a moment’s notice. We are in close coordination with the city and county, and there is currently no unmet need. The Guard has been admirably serving LA throughout recovery. This is the wrong mission and will erode public trust.”

RELATED CONTENT: ICE Detains Minnesota Father And Former Protestor At Hospital Days After Student Visas Revoked

• Celebrity News

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

June 8, 2025

Sheryl Lee Ralph Leads $25K Fundraising Wave At HBCU Graduation

Ralph's spontaneous pledge prompted others to match her donation to exceed the Senior Class Gift's goal.

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Sheryl Lee Ralph recently boosted an HBCU community’s spirit of giving at Norfolk State University’s 2025 commencement ceremony.

Ralph sparked the trend when the Virginia HBCU’s Senior Class President, Zay’Kori Jones, announced the graduates were just short of reaching their $5,000 goal toward their new alma mater. Ralph had been previously announced as the school’s commencement speaker for its May 10 ceremony.

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While the graduates had raised $4,136, the number was well off from their desired number. After Jones noted this in his commencement speech, the “Abbott Elementary” star stepped up to the plate to reach the goal.

According to HBCU Gameday, Ralph pledged $1,000, surpassing their original expectation. Her instant generosity prompted other leaders in the room to also chime in with support. Swiftly after, NSU President Javaune Adams-Gaston and Bishop Kim Brown, the university’s Board of Visitors rector, matched her donation.

Over the next eight minutes, multiple audience members voiced their monetary backing for the class of 2025. Pledges of $1,000 to $2,000 flooded the room, boosting the new total to $25,000.

“I was at a loss for words,” said Senior Class Vice President Nina Collymore. “I felt so proud, so loved.”

The money, part of their Senior Class gift, will go toward the Proud to Pay Legacy Book Scholarship Fund. The financial allotment will help matriculating students at Norfolk State with textbooks and supplies. Furthermore, it will assist Black scholars as they strive to walk across the graduation stage.

The viral moment also showcases the love and generosity found within and beyond HBCU campuses. As the students graduate, the entire Norfolk State community will remember how Ralph and the school’s supporters came together to spark change in an instant.

“This moment shows how powerful generosity can be,” said President Adams-Gaston, Ph.D. “I am thankful to Ms. Ralph and all those who gave from the heart.”

RECENT CONTENT: BackTalk With Sheryl Lee Ralph

• HBCU

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

June 8, 2025

As HBCUs Struggle Against Digital Redlining, Claflin University Fights Back

HBCUs across the Black rural south have long struggled with broadband access.

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With many HBCUs suffering from unstable internet connections, one school hopes to be the game-changer against digital redlining.

According to CNET, a 2021 McKinsey report confirmed that 82% of HBCUs reside in “internet deserts,” where broadband connections are limited or generally unavailable. These deserts are mainly located in rural and low-income areas, specifically in the Black rural south. Given this, HBCUs’ placements in the communities they serve most have made students vulnerable to this issue.

At Claflin University, located in Orangeburg, South Carolina, students have long struggled with finishing or accessing coursework due to the unstable internet. However, a student’s letter emailed to the HBCU’s President, Dr. Dwaun J. Warmack, shed light on the magnitude of this situation.

“It is my prayer that Claflin’s passion for education aligns with its compassion,” wrote the student to Dr. Warmack. I am currently typing my senior research paper at the local McDonald’s that I drive to nine miles every day to do this work because my town doesn’t have Wi-Fi bandwidth.”

The student’s admission sparked a partnership between Claflin and the Student Freedom Initiative to rectify this digital inaccessibility. The organization aims to use education to eliminate the wealth gap, using its partnership with Cisco to provide 5G broadband service to the HBCU in 2023.

The only way for students to get access to content was to come together in areas that provided [broadband] access, which created a problem,” said Keith Shoates, the president and CEO of the Student Freedom Initiative. 

While Claflin has reimagined the learning experience for its students, other HBCUs continue to feel the rising threat of restricted internet access. The issue has also become political, with President Trump terminating the Digital Equity Act over his concerns that it was “unconstitutional” and “racist.” The multibillion-dollar program sought to eliminate inequitable internet access across the nation.

Despite the lack of government support, the SFI continues to work with HBCUs to ensure quality internet access for students and their overarching communities. As digital redlining persists across this region, advocating for internet equity remains a top priority for HBCUs through their students’ matriculation.

Addressing this matter can also help HBCU students as they enter and excel in the workforce. Limiting their capabilities and access only stunts their knowledge and potential in an evolving job market, especially with artificial intelligence on the rise. Providing HBCUs with the infrastructure they need while also strengthening broadband access can ensure a better future for Black youth and their careers.

RELATED CONTENT: 10 HBCUs With the Highest Alumni Donations

• Sports

by Daniel Johnson

June 8, 2025

Coco Gauff Becomes First American Woman To Win The French Open Since Serena Williams

Gauff was the essence of cool when she took the title.

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On June 7, Coco Gauff made history as the first American woman to win the French Open since Serena Williams in 2014—and the youngest to do so since Serena’s dominant run in 2002, when she captured the US Open, French Open, and Wimbledon titles. Gauff’s victory was nothing short of electrifying, as she pulled off a stunning second come-from-behind win, again toppling world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in dramatic fashion.

According to The Athletic, Gauff kept her cool after dropping the first set 6-7, but rebounded and outplayed Sabalenka in the next two sets, winning those sets 6-2 and 6-4, respectively.

Initially, Sabalenka tried to force Gauff to defend the biggest weapon in her arsenal, her drop shot, which, combined with her power game, has often rendered her unbeatable. However, as the wind picked up, Sabalenka’s tactics deteriorated. Gauff pounced on her mistakes, pressuring her opponent into more unforced errors via her trademark brand of impeccable backline defense.

In contrast to Sabalenka’s meltdown—which she did not hide from her opponent at all—Gauff was the essence of cool, barely giving her opponent any bad body language to read. Following the match, Gauff was also graceful and magnanimous in victory, offering her opponent praise, a gesture the Belarusian would seem incapable of returning in her post-game presser.

“First, I’d like to thank God for always keeping me in his corner. I’m just happy to be here. A lot of hard knocks. It means a lot to be here. I’d also like to congratulate Aryna, you’re the No. 1 player in the world, and it was a tough match. You deserve all the results you get, and every time we play, it’s such a tough match for me, so congratulations,” Gauff said in the on-court interview after the match concluded.

After addressing and thanking her coaches, Gauff turned to her parents, “You guys keep me grounded and give me the belief. Thanks, and I love you guys. To my brothers at home, you are the reason I do this, and you inspire me more than you know. Honestly, I didn’t think I could do it, but I’m going to quote Tyler the Creator right here. He said: ‘If I ever told you I had a doubt inside me, I must be lying’. I was lying to myself, so thanks to Tyler, and thanks to you guys.”

Gauff also briefly mused on the state of her home country in her post-match press conference and stated her desire to be a role model for people who look like her, ostensibly, Black women.

Gauff, an athlete who has stated her desire “to use her racket to change the world,” before expressed her belief that although “There’s a lot going on in our country right now,” she wants to represent those “who maybe don’t feel as supported during this period, and so just being that reflection of hope and light.”

As Serena Williams inspired a generation of Black girls–now women—like herself, Taylor Townsend, Sloane Stephens, Naomi Osaka, Alycia Parks, Robin Anderson, and many others to pick up a tennis racquet and dream about winning on the biggest stages and under the brightest lights, Coco Gauff wants to return that favor to the next generation, and she is well on her way at just 21 years old.

RELATED CONTENT: Coco Gauff Donates $100K To UNCF To Help Fund Scholarships For HBCU Students Playing Tennis

• Entertainment

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman

June 8, 2025

Denzel Washington To Join ‘Black Panther 3’ As Ryan Coogler Calls Him ‘Greatest Living Actor’

Washington will take on an undisclosed role that Coogler is currently writing.

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Denzel Washington will soon make his way to Wakanda. The acclaimed actor will join the cast of “Black Panther 3,” as confirmed by its director, Ryan Coogler.

Coogler shared the news during his guest appearance on Carmelo Anthony’s “7PM in Brooklyn” podcast. When asked about the dream cast during the show’s “F–k With It or F–k Out of Here” on June 5, Coogler did not hold back his enthusiasm.

“That’s a big f–k with it,” he responded, according to E! News.

However, Washington’s role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe remains unknown. Despite this, Coogler is writing a special character befitting the status of the acting legend.

He added, “There’s no fiction out there about that.”

Coogler went on to praise Washington and his legacy in Hollywood. While calling the 70-year-old “family,” he also referred to him as the “greatest living actor” with whom he can now finally work.

“Denzel is family at this point,” he shared. “I’ve been trying to work with him since day one. I think he’s the greatest living actor. In terms of what he means to our culture? Forget about it, man.”

Although “Black Panther 3” has no official release date, the film is expected to make waves following 2022’s “Wakanda Forever.” The sequel’s other cast, including Letitia Wright, Danai Gurira, Winston Duke, and Lupita Nyong’o, are also expected to return.

While Coogler is fresh off the media tour for Sinners, which co-starred former Black Panther actor and frequent collaborator Michael B. Jordan, Washington is setting up his last few roles before retirement. The actor previously hinted at his entry into the third installment of Black Panther before taking on a few Shakespeare adaptations.

“After that, I’m gonna do the film “Othello.” After that, I’m gonna do “King Lear.” After that, I’m gonna retire,” explained Washington.

However, his desire to take part in the superhero film comes from his mutual appreciation of Coogler.

“It’s about the filmmaker, especially at this point in my career,” Washington said on Australia’s Today. “I’m only interested in working with the best. I don’t know how many more films I’m gonna make, probably not that many. I want to do things that I haven’t done.”

Now, the two Hollywood giants can finally join forces when “Black Panther 3” hits theaters in a few years. Marvel Studios, however, will have to shell out the big bucks to solidify Washington’s casting.

The two-time Oscar-winning actor reportedly takes home around $35 million per film these days. Fans of the actor can also catch him next in Spike Lee’s “Highest 2 Lowest.“

RELATED CONTENT: ‘Sinners’ Can Now Be Seen Through Streaming Services

• Legal

by Cedric 'BIG CED' Thornton

June 8, 2025

‘Real Housewives Of Atlanta’ Cast Member Brit Eady Sues Bravo, NBC For Defamation

She is seeking $20 million alleging defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, false light, and sexual harassment and hostile work environment.

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Brit Eady, a cast member from “The Real Housewives of Atlanta,” has filed a lawsuit against Bravo and NBC alleging that they defamed her, along with other accusations.

According to People, Eady is requesting $20 million from the networks as well as the production companies, True Original and Endemol Shine North America, alleging defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, false light, and sexual harassment and hostile work environment. The paperwork was filed June 5.

The lawsuit refers to an episode earlier this year that aired April 6, which was taped last summer. In the fifth episode of the season, Kenya Moore, who is no longer with the show, showed a display of photos of a woman she suggested was Eady, performing oral sex during the opening party of her hair spa.

• News

by Daniel Johnson

June 8, 2025

Kamala Harris Surprises Graduating Class At Compton High

Harris’ visit was sparked by a heartfelt letter graduating senior MyShay Causey gave Doug Emhoff while working her restaurant job in April.

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Kamala Harris may be easing back into civilian life as she considers her political future, but she hasn’t lost her flair for a grand entrance—just ask Compton High School’s Class of 2025.

According to NBC 4, Harris’s visit was made possible by graduating senior MyShay Causey, who caught the former Vice President’s attention with a heartfelt letter she wrote to former second gentleman Doug Emhoff during a shift at her part-time job at a downtown Los Angeles restaurant in April.

Causey’s letter explained some of what she and her classmates were doing at the high school and her role as a student leader at Compton High.

After Emhoff was handed the letter, Causey told the outlet that she asked him to give it to his wife, former California Sen. Kamala Harris. On the same day she gave the letter to Emhoff, Causey said she received a call from Harris, which she shared with fellow members of the Compton Unified School District student board at a meeting.

“I go to the school board meeting the exact same day and said, ‘Hey, guys, I just got off the phone with Kamala Harris. What can I invite her to?’ And they immediately tell me, ‘The graduation,’” Causey told the outlet.

As Politico reported, when Harris appeared at the graduation—more to the point—her Black SUV appeared—some onlookers speculated that it might be Beyoncé, but it was the former vice president of the United States who did not give a speech, but stood on the stage for an hour as students walked the stage.

“It’s not often you get somebody from Compton North — Oakland — hanging out with us here in the CPT,” Micah Ali, the president of the Compton Unified school board, said from the stage. Ali later awarded Harris an honorary degree, proclaiming the former vice president as the “first graduate” of the school’s new campus.

Causey, who did give a speech, described the hastily written “full page essay” she gave to Emhoff and explained how her class is shattering stereotypes about Compton.

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According to Causey, she wrote the former vice president and second gentleman about “how if anyone showed up here at Compton High, they would be so proud of the people coming out of and surprised because it’s way different than what other people have ever said about us.”

To Causey’s point, the majority of students at Compton High School are headed to attend institutions of higher learning—87% of students in the class have been accepted at two and four-year universities—Causey herself is heading to the Ivy League, she will attend Cornell University in the fall and others have been accepted into UCLA, UC Berkeley, and UC Irvine among others.

According to an Instagram post from the district, “Today, the Compton High School Class of 2025 became the first class to graduate at the brand new Compton High School campus! This historic moment was made even more special with a visit from Vice President Kamala Harris, who attended as the personal guest of Student Board Member MyShay Causey.”

The district concluded, “This is more than just a graduation — it’s a moment that will live on in Compton history. Congratulations, Compton High School Class of 2025! You are the future and the future looks BRIGHT!”

RELATED CONTENT: California Republicans Hopeful For Kamala Harris’ Governor Run To Boost Funding, Spotlight On Race

• News

by Daniel Johnson

June 8, 2025

Washington State To Study Reparations For First Time In Its History

Signed into law by Gov. Bob Ferguson in May, the measure gives Washington the authority to examine how it might address the lasting impacts of slavery.

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Tucked inside Washington State’s newly approved $78 billion budget for 2025-2026 is a historic move: For the first time, the state will fund a study to explore reparations for the descendants of enslaved people. Signed into law by Gov. Bob Ferguson in May, the measure gives Washington the authority to examine how it might address the lasting impacts of slavery—marking a major shift in the state’s approach to racial justice.

According to The Seattle Times, the initial funding for the study is light, in comparison to the total budget, only costing Washington state $300,000 to become the third state in the country to officially study reparations in an effort to explore any possible and potential remedies.

Some, like Sheley Secrest, the director of the Washington state branch of the NAACP, anticipate that the actual cost will exceed the state’s anticipated price tag. Secrest estimates that the true cost of the state’s reparations commission is approximately $1.5 million.

As Davida Ingram, the executive director of the Seattle African American Reparations Committee, explained to the outlet, “You can see the warp and weft” of systemic discrimination in the State of Washington, and they also posed a rhetorical question which communicated the thrust of the argument for reparations, “This is a tapestry of an unjust society, so what does a just one look like?”

Indeed, although Washington did not become a state until after slavery was abolished in the United States, similar to Oregon, its laws were, in practice, anti-Black.

The laws enacted by the state barred enslaved people who were once enslaved in what was formerly Washington Territory, within the borders of the State of Washington, from the state and created exclusionary laws that restricted the ability of Black people who were allowed to settle in Washington state to own land.

This, according to Rep. Chipalo Street (D-Seattle), one of the lawmakers who pushed for Washington state to face its past, makes it necessary to survey the damage that the laws enacted by the state have created for Black people.

“To enact a policy to repair that damage, we have to understand what that damage has done,” Rep. Street told the outlet.

He continued, describing how American capitalism was fueled by the tremendous exploitation and inequity of the system of slavery, which created a system where “the benefits of our great national economy have not been equally felt.”

As economist Darrick Hamilton told The New York Times reporter Ezra Klein on an episode of Klein’s podcast in 2023, reparations are part of a just end to a massive injustice.

“I’m an advocate for reparations…Reparations is a retrospective, racially just program that does two things. It requires atonement. It requires truth and reconciliation. It requires the federal government to take public account and atone for the state-complicit malfeasance that have taken place in the past and led to the conditions that exist today,” Hamilton said.

Claude Burfect, a board member of the Seattle organization headed by Ingram, has a more personal anecdote, telling the outlet that his childhood in Louisiana was full of reminders of what chattel slavery made possible, none more stark than the Jim Crow laws that underscored the inequity and indignity of the system of slavery that preceded it.

According to Burfect, “Once the study is done, (it may) say, ‘This is what we were able to do for America, then this is what America may need to owe us.’

As Bridge Detroit reported in 2024, the growing call for reparations in America owes much to the work of Ray “Reparations Ray” Jenkins, whose dogged determination over decades persuaded former Congressman John Conyers Jr. to introduce legislation, HR 40, that called for a federal commission to study reparations on a national level, the blueprint which is now being followed at the state and even in some cases, the local level.

According to Trevor Smith, the co-founder and executive director of the Black Liberation Indigenous Sovereignty Collective, “There’s a lineage of this movement. The call for reparations has long been part of the Black radical tradition and the broader movement for Black lives. This idea that too much time has passed (since slavery), folks like Reparations Ray play an important role. There were folks calling for it, you were ignoring them. That is not the fault of the Black community.”

RELATED CONTENT: Tulsa’s First Black Mayor Plans To ‘Repair’ Race Massacre Damage