Reparations symposium: ‘Not that crazy an idea in our legal system to atone for past wrongs’

(From left) Symposium speakers Brandon Greene, Kamila Moore, Wesley Cox, Dominick Williams ’25, Alexis Tatum ’25, Don Tamaki ’76, Kevin Greene, Ndjuoh MehChu, and Cameron Clark shared wide-ranging research and insights about the issue of reparations for Black Americans. Photos by Darius Riley By Andrew Cohen  Those who lead the Berkeley Journal of Black Law & Policy know the subject can get heated and divisive. But they see reparations, the focus of the journal’s recent 30th anniversary symposium, as more logical development than pie-in-the-sky wish.  “It’s a contentious topic, as are many that involve race,” said Editor-in-Chief Alexis Tatum ’25. “But that’s not a reason to shy away from it. It’s not that crazy an idea in our legal system to atone for past wrongs. That’s what the law is regularly used for.” Tatum reviews a PowerPoint slide during Moore’s presentation on the history of the reparations movement. Senior Symposium Editor Dominick Williams ’25 proposed the topic. He worked with California Secretary of State Shirley Weber as a liaison to the California Reparations Task Force — the first such unit created nationwide in 2020 — to study and develop reparation proposals for African Americans, especially descendants of people enslaved in...