Reparations is a process of
repairing, healing and restoring a
people injured because of their
group identity and in violation of
their fundamental human rights by
governments or corporations. Those
groups that have been injured have
the right to obtain from the
government or corporation
responsible for the injuries that
which they need to repair and heal
themselves. In addition to being a
demand for justice, it is a
principle of international human
rights law. As a remedy, it is
similar to the remedy for damages in
domestic law that holds a person
responsible for injuries suffered by
another when the infliction of the
injury violates domestic law.
Examples of groups that have
obtained reparations include Jewish
victims of the Nazi Holocaust,
Japanese Americans interned in
concentration camps in the United
States during WWII, Alaska Natives
for land, labor, and resources
taken, victims of the massacre in
Rosewood, Florida and their
descendants, Native Americans as a
remedy for violations of treaty
rights, and political dissenters in
Argentina and their descendants. 123
The National Coalition of Blacks for
Reparations in America is a
mass-based coalition organized for
the sole purpose of obtaining
reparations for African descendants
in the United States. N’COBRA’s
founding meeting, September 26,
1987, was convened for the purpose
of broadening the base of support
for the long-standing reparations
movement. Organizational founders of
N'COBRA include the National
Conference of Black Lawyers, the New
Afrikan Peoples Organization, and
the Republic of New Afrika. N’COBRA
has individual members and
organizational affiliates. It has
chapters throughout the U. S. and in
Ghana and London. It is directed
nationally by a board of directors.
Its work is organized through nine
national commissions: Economic
Development, Human Resources, Legal
Strategies, Legislation, Information
and Media, Membership and
Organizational Development,
International Affairs, Youth and
Education.
In September 2003, N’COBRA formed a
501(c)(3) corporation, N’COBRA Legal
Defense, Research and Education
Fund. The mission of this 501(c)(3)
is to develop and implement projects
to educate and seek reparations for
Africans and People of African
descendant. As a 501(c)(3) it will
not engage in lobbying which is one
of the primary focuses of the parent
organization, N’COBRA.
The Trans-Atlantic Slave "Trade" and
chattel slavery, more appropriately
called the Holocaust of Enslavement
or Maafa, was a crime against
humanity. Millions of Africans were
brutalized, murdered, raped and
tortured. They were torn from their
families in Africa, kidnapped and
lost family and community
associations. African peoples in the
United States and the prior colonies
were denied the right to maintain
their language, spiritual practices
and normal family relations, always
under the threat of being torn from
newly created families at the whim
of the "slave owner." Chattel
slavery lasted officially from 1619
to 1865. It was followed by 100
years of government led and
supported denial of equal and humane
treatment including Black Codes,
convict lease, sharecropping,
peonage, and Jim Crow practices of
separate and unequal accommodations.
African descendants continue to be
denied rights of self-determination,
inheritance, and full participation
in the United States government and
society. The laws and practices in
the United States continue to treat
African peoples in a manner similar
to slavery - maintaining dual
systems in virtually every area of
life including punishment, health
care, education and wealth,
maintaining the myths of White
superiority and African and African
descendants’ inferiority.
Reparations can be in as many forms
as necessary to equitably (fairly)
address the many forms of injury
caused by chattel slavery and its
continuing vestiges. The material
forms of reparations include cash
payments, land, economic
development, and repatriation
resources particularly to those who
are descendants of enslaved
Africans. Other forms of reparations
for Black people of African descent
include funds for scholarships and
community development; creation of
multi-media depictions of the
history of Black people of African
descent and textbooks for
educational institutions that tell
the story from the African
descendants' perspective;
development of historical monuments
and museums; the return of artifacts
and art to appropriate people or
institutions; exoneration of
political prisoners; and, the
elimination of laws and practices
that maintain dual systems in the
major areas of life including the
punishment system, health, education
and the financial/economic system.
The forms of reparations received
should improve the lives of African
descendents in the United States for
future generations to come; foster
economic, social and political
parity; and allow for full rights of
self-determination.
Within the broadest definition, all
Black people of African descent in
the United States should receive
reparations in the form of changes
in or elimination of laws and
practices that allow them to be
treated differently and less well
than White people. For example,
ending racial profiling and
discrimination in the provision of
health care, providing scholarship
and community development funds for
Black people of African descent, and
supporting processes of self
determination will not only benefit
descendants of enslaved Africans,
but all African descendant peoples
in the United States who because of
their color are victims of the
vestiges of slavery. This is similar
to the Rosewood, Florida reparations
package, where some forms of
reparations were provided only to
persons who descended from those who
were injured, died and lost their
homes and other forms were made
available to all Black people of
African descent in Florida.
N'COBRA seeks reparations at this
time from two groups: governments
and corporations. There are
individuals, families, and religious
institutions that directly benefited
from slavery in the United States,
and who, if acting in good faith,
would contribute to reparations
funds for use in assisting in the
reparations process. However, we
choose to focus on government and
corporations because of their
particular role in the horrific
tragedies of chattel slavery and the
continuing vestiges of slavery we
live with today. In addition, we
recognize that all White people to
some extent have benefited from
slavery and the underlying lie of
White Supremacy that allowed it to
exist for two and one-half centuries
in the United States. This lie has
led to what is commonly called
"white skin privilege" and results
in significant benefits to White
people. The process of reparations
would include creating ways to
change the culture of "white skin
privilege" that was created to
sustain chattel slavery and its
continuing vestiges.
Although N'COBRA's primary focus is
on obtaining reparations for African
descendants in the United States, it
is a part of the international
movement for reparations. Under the
leadership of its International
Affairs Commission, N'COBRA works
closely with Africans, African
descendants and supporters of
reparations for Africans and African
descendants throughout the world.
N'COBRA members were very active
during the preparatory process for
the World Conference Against Racism
(WCAR) and the Non-Governmental
Organization Forum and government
conference held in Durban, South
Africa in 2001. N'COBRA leaders were
in the leadership of the African and
African Descendants Caucus formed
during the WCAR preparatory process.
N’COBRA leaders play a leading role
in the International Front of
Africans for Reparations (IFAR)
formed at the African and African
Descendants Conference in
Bridgetown, Barbados in 2002.
N'COBRA understands the status of
Africans and African descendants in
the United States, throughout the
Diaspora, and on the Continent is
based on the same or similar crimes
against humanity. N'COBRA
acknowledges that the success of the
movement for reparations for
Africans anywhere advances the
movement for reparations for
Africans and African descendants
everywhere.
N’COBRA’s Information Sheet
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© September 2002
National Coalition Of Blacks for
Reparations in America (N'COBRA)
P.O. Box 90604 - Washington, DC
20090
Phone 202-291-8400 Fax 202-291-4600
Email
NationalNCOBRA@aol.com
(N'COBRA Listserve group)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Reparations_For_Africans
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