Farrakhan, Activists and Educators Set to Convene at Reparations Summit

A national coalition of black educators and civil rights activists, including Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, will convene today in Atlanta to advance a grassroots movement demanding reparations for the atrocities of slavery. The Atlanta chapter of the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America (N'COBRA) will host a three-day conference at Clark Atlanta University to discuss a collective strategy to attain reparations for blacks. On Saturday, Farrakhan, who has served as a strategic leader for the movement, will deliver a keynote address entitled “Reparations: Our Case and Our Demand.” Many activists and historians have argued for years that America owes reparations to blacks for the enslavement and forced labor of their ancestors. Demands from proponents of the movement, which is gaining momentum and national attention, have evolved from solely financial restitution to a broader more complex discussion. The debate is now focused on how to improve the overall quality of life for black Americans by acquiring resources from the U.S. government and corporations that profited from slavery.  [more]