How One Group Fights For Locally Grown Reparations

by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman July 7, 2024 The African American Redress Network consists of lawyers, historians, and experts dedicated to racial justice. As conversations surrounding reparations continue to grow across the United States, the African American Redress Network seeks to help establish these frameworks on a local level. The organization promotes the implementation and necessity of reparations to support Black communities. Established in 2019, the network consists of lawyers, historians, and experts dedicated to racial justice. Their mission toward reparations, however, began in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death from police brutality. Their work in cities like St. Louis, where they assisted research for a reparations group, spread awareness on the topic. Working alongside community leaders, the cohort releases harm reports on the most prevalent inequalities in each area. These inequalities could range from housing to education. “It’s impossible to actually get equity without reparations being part of the solutions,” explained the network’s founder, Justin Hansford, to NPR. “That’s [a harm report] helping these communities make the case where they are located.” Their redress projects also range as needed. They have completed segregation impact studies in Evanston, Illinois, while creating harm reports for already-established reparations task forces. Most reports themselves dissect...