Reparations are due to the descendants of enslaved Africans. The remaining questions are whom to pay and how. This 14-part original series from Peabody-nominated LWC Studios asks key questions of people who have the experience and knowledge to help us understand why we cannot begin to heal as a country without addressing the question of who receives reparations and how.
“Still Paying the Price: Reparations in Real Terms” is a 14-part series exploring how reparations should be paid and to whom. Original score by Kojin Tashiro. Cover art: "Gemini" by Fitgi Saint-Louis.
For more information, all episodes, and transcripts visit StillPayingThePricePod.com.
This series was funded by a grant from The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
Pamela Kirkland: It was a simple promise…
John Boyd: We didn’t get 40 acres and a mule.
Kirkland: As the country grapples with how to right the wrongs of history, the call for reparations only grows louder. For the descendants of the enslaved, it’s time to collect on that debt.
Kimberly Nichole: America was built on this entire system of using the free labor of stolen bodies from Africa.
Kirkland: I'm Pamela Kirkland, a journalist and co-editor of "Still Paying the Price: Reparations in Real Terms.” This series from LWC Studios goes beyond conversations about whether or not reparations SHOULD be paid, but HOW and TO WHOM.
Darrin Bell: You can go on hating Black people if you want to, just cut the check.
Kirkland: We uncover stories that have been buried, stories that reveal the profound impact of the ugly history on which this country was built. From a civil rights cold case…
Karlos K. Hill: Setting the record straight. “Death Ruled Justifiable”, that's the headline. That headline needs to be changed to "Unjustly Killed."
Kirkland: To another NASA “Hidden Figure”…
Dr. Cynthia Vernón: I think we are all owed something, but…it's gonna have to be paid forward…
Kirkland: To one man’s journey to uncover the painful history his family hid for decades.
Reginald Crawford: I said, "my grandfather killed himself." And she said, "The hell he did. The white folks killed your grandfather."
Kirkland: We hear from individuals who are grappling with what reparations should look like.
Cheryl Grills: If you believe the Pledge of Allegiance, liberty, and justice for all, then you're gonna have to reconcile how those principles have or have not been applied to the wrongs done to Black folk.
Kirkland: And how the spirit of the ancestors still guide their descendants today.
Mia Anderson: I think it's a power in knowing that I'm a descendant and that blood runs through me. It gives me a power to tap into.
Kirkland: Listen to “Still Paying the Price” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. Get all episodes and supporting materials at StillPayingthePricePod.com. This series was funded by a grant from The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.