Community-based Reparations Solutions: A Working Definition
The Crafting Democratic Futures Project defines reparations as any attempt to repair the historical harms and contemporary injustices committed against African American and Native communities as a result of policies and practices installed during the periods of chattel enslavement, Jim Crow, and mass incarceration. While this can include financial redress from the U.S. government, it can also include a national apology, and educational, housing, and healthcare programs. Rather than place strict parameters around reparations solutions, CDF emphasizes the importance of a nuanced, humanistic approach that centers on local histories in telling a fuller account of racial harm and informing the solutions that follow; all in the spirit of repair and reconciliation.