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WELLESLEY, Mass. -- Wellesley College's Martin Luther
King Jr. Memorial Committee will present a panel discussion, "The
Case for Reparations," on Wednesday, Oct. 22, at 4:30
pm in Collins Cinema.
Panel members include some of the leading
American thinkers on the topic: Sam Anderson, education
director of the Center
for Law and Social Justice at City University of New York – Brooklyn
(Medgar Evers College), is the author of Science and
Independence: The Third World Confronts Science and Technology and
is a member of the board of the Reparations Mobilization
Committee.
Deadria Farmer-Paellmann is an attorney for a class action
lawsuit against corporations that benefited financially
from slavery; and Ray Winbush, director of the Institute
for Urban Affairs at Morgan State University, is the author
of Should America Pay? Slavery and the Raging Debate
on Reparations.
"Because the discussion of reparations for slavery
is increasingly in the public discourse, both nationally
and internationally, it's important for all of us to be
informed about the issue," said Wellesley College
Professor of Africana Studies and Sociology Judith Rollins,
who serves as chair of the MLK Committee. "The debate
began almost 150 years ago, when General Sherman's plan
to give land in the Carolinas and the Sea Islands to newly
emancipated African Americans was being implemented, only
to be reversed by President Johnson."
In 1867, Rep. Thaddeus
Stevens' bill for reparations was rejected by the U.S.
House of Representatives. Similarly,
Rep. Tony Hall's 2000 resolution for Congress to apologize
for slavery was also rejected.
"Yet, the issue won't go away," said Rollins. "In
recent years, not only has it garnered more support in
the U.S., but it's now being discussed in other countries
and has even received support from the U.N. at the 2001
Conference Against Racism."
The panel discussion aims to examine the arguments for
and against reparations as well as the forms of reparations
being proposed.
Co-sponsors of the event include Africana Studies, History,
Political Science, Economics, Philosophy and Sociology
departments; Peace and Justice Studies; Harambee House;
the Committee on Lectures and Cultural Events; and the
Office of Equal Opportunity at Wellesley College. For more
information, call 781-283-2569.
Since 1875, Wellesley College has been a leader in providing
an excellent liberal-arts education for women who will
make a difference in the world. Its 500-acre campus near
Boston is home to 2,300 undergraduate students from all
50 states and 68 countries.
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