Can the Movement for Reparations Survive Under Trump?

FEATURING KYLE MOORE - In the wake of the historic racial justice protests of summer 2020, the long-standing movement for reparations for Black Americans gained steam. Several local and statewide initiatives received the political boost they needed to get off the ground. 

For example, in California, a historic reparations task force concluded painstaking research and surveys with a clear mandate to move forward with compensation for Black people. And, a year ago, YES! Magazine published a series of deeply reported stories called Realizing Reparations. 

But a whitelash to the movement for racial justice, and by extension, reparations, has helped reelect Donald Trump, who set to work immediately dismantling federal government programs for racial equity. 

In this context, where is the movement for reparations? In a new report, economist Kyle Moore writes “Reparations is our North Star for equity, providing a counterweight against a backslide into white supremacy.”