Since General Tucumsa Sherman on behalf of the U.S Government promised all freed slaves 40 Acres and a Mule and treaties brought about by the U.S. Dakota War in 1862, discussions about compensation of Indigenous and Black folks for our land, trauma, and free labor have taken place. Reparations are not a new concept in the United States and have been paid to Japanese Internment Camp and Holocaust Survivours alike. Yet we get stuck when bills like HR 40 are introduced at the federal level, which merely call for a commission to study reparations. What many Americans should be reminded about is that these resources are not only set to create real healing from our history of colonialism, white supremacy, and anti-Blackness but an equal economic playing field. A debt that is far overdue.
Today we are joined by Nevada Littlewolf and Brett Grant who were key organizers and coalition builders who brought together Minnesota’s Black and Indigenous communities to discuss reparations that were aimed to bridge and bring together each community
Nevada Littlewolf has a long history of activating. She was the first American Indian woman on the City Council in Virginia, Minnesota, and was the Minnesota Political Director for the 2020 Biden Harris Presidential Campaign. She is the Executive Director of Women Winning, a non-profit organization that supports, trains, and elects pro-choice women across Minnesota.
Brett Grant is a postdoctoral research fellow with the Black Education Research Center (BERC) at Teachers College, Columbia University where his research examines education, schools, and society from a holistic perspective. Brett was the policy and research director at Voices for Racial Justice in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Brett and Nevada founded Seven Teachings, a business focused on justice, systems change, and movement building.
Get Uncomfortable with Adam A. Smith is produced in partnership between Adam A. Smith and Rachel Hanson.
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