‘The Cost of Inheritance’ film screening encourages love in reparations discussion

As the lights dimmed in Michigan State University’s WKAR Studio A Thursday night, audience members were challenged to consider their individual impact as they watched the film “The Cost of Inheritance.” The film was presented by WKAR, an MSU College of Communication Arts and Sciences public broadcasting service, in partnership with the Justice League of Greater Lansing Michigan. The organizations came together to create a conversational space where the topic of reparations could be accessibly discussed. Following the presentation, a panel of community members took to the stage to strike up a conversation regarding a core idea posed in the film: how to approach reparations in the modern day at an individual level. Panelist Reverend Dr. Kit Carlson encouraged viewers to research their family’s history to not be complicit in the systems they could be a part of. “We might not necessarily be descended from enslavers, but every white person in this country has benefited from the legacy of slavery and all of us have research we can do into that,” Carlson said. “There are systems out there that sweep us up, and we are part of it, and we participate in it, and we are complicit in it— we...