Audible Book Review: From Here to Equality, Reparations for Black Americans in the Twenty-First Century, by William A. Darity Jr. and A. Kirsten Mulle

I appreciate all of the information and arguments set forth in this book.

From Here to Equality
Reparations for Black Americans in the Twenty-First Century
By: William A. Darity Jr., A. Kirsten Mullen
Narrated by: JD Jackson

Length: 14 hrs and 3 mins
Release date: 04-20-20
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Genre: Economic Theory, Nonfiction, African American Demographic Studies
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0 Overall; Content 4.5; Narration 4.5.

Publisher's Summary
Racism and discrimination have choked economic opportunity for African Americans at nearly every turn. At several historic moments, the trajectory of racial inequality could have been altered dramatically. Perhaps no moment was more opportune than the early days of Reconstruction, when the US government temporarily implemented a major redistribution of land from former slaveholders to the newly emancipated enslaved.
But neither Reconstruction nor the New Deal nor the civil rights struggle led to an economically just and fair nation. Today, systematic inequality persists in the form of housing discrimination, unequal education, police brutality, mass incarceration, employment discrimination, and massive wealth and opportunity gaps. Economic data indicates that for every dollar the average white household holds in wealth the average black household possesses a mere 10 cents.
In From Here to Equality, William Darity Jr. and A. Kirsten Mullen confront these injustices head-on and make the most comprehensive case to date for economic reparations for US descendants of slavery. Taken individually, any one of the three eras of injustice outlined by Darity and Mullen - slavery, Jim Crow, and modern-day discrimination - makes a powerful case for black reparations. Taken collectively, they are impossible to ignore. ©2020 William A. Darity Jr. and A. Kirsten Mullen (P)2020 Tantor.

Review:
I chose this as a resource to offer background and solutions and thought it was good to listen to during Black History Month. It is laid out in the nature of a study text or resource book but the material kept my attention.

The authors do a thorough job of documenting the history of slavery, then the struggles and failures of reconstruction, followed by discriminatory practices for years and years. The treatment of African Americans, initially as slaves but also as freed men and women through the 1960s, was horrendous and reprehensible. Promises were made and repeatedly broken and that is the mild side of abuses.

The plight of the African American did not stop with the Emancipation Proclamation nor the passage of the 14th Amendment in 1868. The African American people continued to be put into low paying jobs with their wages set at a significantly low rate and then taken with inflated supply prices. Groups of African Americans continued to seek reparations, which was then considered to be “40 acres and a mule”. The authors’ primary argument is that the descendants of slaves (now noted as ADOS - American Descendant of Slavery - have been repeatedly denied the ability to gain basic wealth that can be passed on to the next generation thus creating the current situation of economic inequity. The slaves were treated as chattel with little to no possessions, and after gaining freedom their wages and land were repeatedly stolen as they were often burned out and dispossessed when they managed to gain a homestead or small business. Even after African Americans fought as soldiers in World War I, they were denied the ability to obtain low loans to buy into private housing. There are programs and institutions that continue even today which contribute to the inequality. Although there are clearly instances of awful prejudice, it seems to me that much injustice is the result of politics rather than societal racism.

I appreciated that the authors were factual in noting which political parties and politicians supported freedom and recompense for the freed people (more often the ‘radical’ republicans) and which continued to suppress, obstruct and outright stole from the black people (the democrats and the men who outright viewed the slaves as lesser beings). The authors also lay out the typical arguments against reparations and respond to each argument. It certainly isn’t good enough to say something along the lines of “they have more opportunities here in America than if they had remained in Africa or ended up in Haiti or Jamaica.” On the other hand, I hardly agree that it is appropriate (or helpful to their sincere cause) to loot and burn the property of others in the claim of reparations.

The frustrations of those who feel they have not been treated fairly are clearly expressed as real and understandable. Recompense has been denied for far too long. When the figures are extrapolated for time it seems staggering. Then, when divided out it seems like it would not be enough to make up for years of loss, oppression and suppression. The authors make a very strong case that some solution needs to be made and the sooner the better.

I am extremely glad that I listened to this work. I think it would be wonderful for everyone to read it and it should be required reading for any committee member working on reparations efforts. I recommend this to anyone who wants a better and more comprehensive understanding of the history of abuse, suppression and discrimination which are the basis for the arguments for reparations.

Audio Notes: JD Jackson does an excellent job narrating a complex work. The material is heavy but moves along quickly. Mr. Jackson doesn’t allow his presentation to get bogged down even when presenting dry statistics and figures. I am glad that I listened to the audio although having a hard copy would allow a reader to go back to look at details.

Source: Source 6/28/2020 One June Credit at Audible. This qualifies for 2021TBR, 2021Audiobook and 2021Alphabet goals.