Reparations for Black American Freedmen

Reparations for Black American Freedmen Descendants and Addressing Breach of Duty Under Reconstruction Era Laws

The foundational capital that European colonizers used to establish what we now recognize as the United States of America was derived from the stolen lands of Native Nations and the labor of enslaved Africans and their descendants. This historical reality is not merely a chapter of our past but a living legacy that continues to manifest in systemic inequalities and racial injustice. The Green Party of California recognizes the profound debt owed to Black American Freedmen and their descendants, survivors of the institutions of American chattel slavery, and is committed to reparations as a vital step toward justice and healing.

Additionally, the failure to fully implement and uphold Reconstruction Era laws, which were intended to protect the rights and opportunities of Freedmen and their descendants, constitutes a breach of the government’s duties. Reparations are not only a remedy for the injustices of slavery and segregation but also a legal necessity to address these ongoing violations of Reconstruction-era protections.

Acknowledging Historical Injustices
The Transatlantic slave trade was primarily initiated by European traders in the early 15th century, with the Portuguese being the first major participants. By 1619, enslaved Africans had arrived in the English colony of Virginia, marking a significant point in American history. Over nearly four centuries, the trade resulted in the abduction of approximately 12.5 million Africans, who were forced to build the American colonies and, subsequently, the United States. After the
abolition of the international slave trade in the early 19th century, the domestic or internal slave trade expanded significantly within the United States. This period, often referred to as the "Second Middle Passage," involved the forced migration of enslaved people from the Upper South to the Deep South to work on various agricultural plantations. Additionally, forced reproduction practices were imposed on the enslaved to increase the enslaved population
domestically year-over-year. This practice helped to further perpetuate the cycle of hyperexploitation and dehumanization.
Even after the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment, the legacy of slavery persisted through Jim Crow laws, redlining, and mass incarceration.
The Green Party of California denounces the persistent dehumanization and discrimination faced by American Freedmen communities across the United States. This injustice is driven by European-American hegemony and economic dominance, aiming to maintain a labor force essential for sustaining the current exploitative and inequitable economic structure.

Reparations as a Moral and Legal Obligation
Reparations for Black American Freedmen Descendants are a fundamental necessity, grounded not only in historical and legal precedent but also in the breach of Reconstruction Era duties. After the Civil War, laws like the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments were designed to ensure freedom, civil rights, and political participation for Freedmen. However, systemic exploitation, discriminatory policies, and denial of these legal protections persisted through Jim Crow, redlining, and mass incarceration, violating the spirit and letter of those laws.

Reconstruction Era laws sought to provide economic and social opportunities for Freedmen, including land redistribution and protection from discriminatory practices. The unfulfilled promise of Special Field Order No. 15 (“40 acres and a mule”) and the failure to enforce these laws underscore the breach of duty that continues to harm Freedmen descendants today. Reparations are necessary not only to right these wrongs but also to fulfill these neglected legal obligations.

Suggested Action Steps:

1. REPARATIONS TRUST FUND – Establish a reparations trust fund financed by corporate taxes and recovered wealth amassed through the exploitation of Freedmen. This will address both historical injustices and the breach of Reconstruction Era duties. Black American Freedmen and their descendants must play a central legal role in shaping the distribution of the fund.

2. LAND RESTORATION & ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE – Return stolen land to Freedmen Descendants and compensate for lost opportunities due to discriminatory practices, fulfilling the promises made during Reconstruction.

3. HOUSING – Create affordable housing for Freedmen descendants and address discriminatory practices like redlining, a direct breach of rights promised during Reconstruction.

4- HUMAN RIGHTS - Support Black American Freedmen liberation movements, release all political prisoners criminalized for their defense of Black American Freedmen peoples rights to self-determination, regardless of the specific location or movement associated with their activities. While advocating peaceful solutions, affirm self-defense as a tool for justice. Demand proportional electoral systems that amplify Black American Freedmen voices.

5- EMPLOYMENT & WAGES - Full employment and a national living wage to break the cycle of poverty and end environmental racism. Invest in historically Black American Freedmen and disadvantaged communities by creating green jobs, funding worker-owned cooperatives, and a guaranteed minimum income funded by progressive taxation.

6- PRISONS - Support the federal repeal of the slave labor clauses in the Thirteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution that contribute to ongoing racial disparities, mass incarceration, and ongoing injustices. Replace the current punitive in-justice system with a comprehensive restorative justice system to provide all needed social services to defendants. [[CA has a 2024 bill to end forced prison labor]]

7- POLICE BRUTALITY ON BLACK PEOPLE - End Cop Cities and Police Qualified Immunity, demand aggressive prosecution of police brutality against Black American Freedmen people, vigorously prosecute hate crimes and enforce civil-rights laws, and strengthen legal services for Black defendants.

8- WAR ON DRUGS - End the false ‘war on drugs’ that has marginalized and incarcerated Black American Freedmen people for decades, traumatized entire generations, and deprived whole communities of other paternal support and family unity. Release and automatically expunge the records of all those incarcerated for possession of cannabis, and provide them lost-wage compensation.

9- EDUCATION AND OPPORTUNITY - Support existing Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Education and Development Funds for Black American Freedmen youth. Strengthen Equity, Diversity and Inclusion programs and restore Affirmative Action programs to race/gender based, as they were originally intended. Mandate teaching of a historically accurate curricula on slavery and racism for public schools and universities.

10- SYMBOLS OF SLAVERY AND RACISM - Call for the removal of the Confederate battle flags from all government buildings and institutions, ban racial profiling, defend voting rights, and support truth and reconciliation community initiatives for Black American Freedmen.

Approved by the GPCA virtual General Assembly on November 23, 2024.