Minnesota Equity & Justice Project
Generations of scholars have argued that America will never be whole until reparations are provided for the moral debt created by slavery, Jim Crow laws, and the vestiges of the caste system it created. The international cry for justice after the murder of Mr. George Floyd and the stark racial disparities laid bare by the pandemic have renewed the sense of urgency around reparations and truth and reconciliation commissions.
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Casey DeMarais
Overview of the Project
Generations of scholars have argued that America will never be whole until reparations are provided for the moral debt created by slavery, Jim Crow laws, and the vestiges of the caste system it created. The international cry for justice after the murder of Mr. George Floyd and the stark racial disparities laid bare by the pandemic have renewed the sense of urgency around reparations and truth and reconciliation commissions.
Recent Event
On October 6th, 2022, the Minnesota Humanities Center along with its partners – the Center for the Study of Black Life and the Law and Minnesota Equity and Justice Project – convened a conference titled “Truth, Equity & Justice: How We Make Our Way Forward (Again).”
“Truth, Equity & Justice: How We Make Our Way Forward (Again)” conference was a day-long conversation about how we move toward justice with:
- International renowned scholars and lawyers involved in securing reparations and creating Truth and Reconciliation commissions outside of the United States,
- Community advocates pursuing reparations and the creation of Truth and Reconciliation commissions in Minnesota, and
- Scholars and lawyers sharing insights concerning federal and state legislation involving reparations and the formation of truth and reconciliation commissions.
Featured guests included Virginie Ladisch, Senior Expert, Programs, at the International Center for Transitional Justice, Marcella Naidoo, former Regional Director of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Africa and Executive Director of the Black Sash, and Minnesota’s Attorney General Keith Ellison.
Event Program
Download a PDF copy of the complete event program.
What’s Next
This is a beginning, not an end. The event partners are planning a series of events in 2023 to continue this focus and work to transform our collective future.