The New Jersey Reparations Council is working to ensure that the promise of 40 acres and a mule is finally kept.
It all started with the promise of 40 acres and a mule.
For 160 years, Black Americans have called for reparations, and in recent years, various task forces — notably in Illinois, California, and North Carolina — have pushed for payment for the harms done by slavery and Jim Crow. But while slavery is often framed as a Southern stain on American history, its legacy reaches far beyond — shaping disparities in education, wealth, and justice across the entire nation, including in places like New Jersey.
RELATED: Dr. Joy DeGruy and Reparations – Why Healing Begins With Truth
By the 1830s, New Jersey accounted for more than two-thirds of all enslaved people in the Northern United States. It slowly became known as the “slave state of the North.” Now the New Jersey Reparations Council is working to confront this history head-on, and ensure that the promise of 40 acres and a mule is finally kept.
Formed in 2023, the council — a diverse coalition of advocates, community leaders, and experts, including faculty from Rutgers-Newark — is crafting a comprehensive blueprint to address the lasting impacts of slavery and systemic racism in the state. From the racial wealth gap to school segregation, their work aims to not only educate but also advocate for policies that could pave the way for healing and equity.
RELATED: Bringing Black Studies to Black People
Keywords: Reparations, Newark, racial wounds, healing, history
#ReparationsNow #NewarkHistory #RacialHealing
