Reparations Are Here. Three Researchers On Why They Want More Than Just Cash Payouts.
- tmanon1
- Jul 28
- 2 min read
Join Media 2070’s IG Live on 8/4 @ 1 PM ET as the authors of Liberation Stories explore what true repair looks like—from housing to media justice.
While the debate around reparations continues to dominate headlines, a recent Pew Research study shows that roughly 77% of Black Americans don’t believe the U.S. will ever fully pay reparations for the harms of slavery and systemic racism. The skepticism is understandable—but in many ways, reparations are already happening.
Cities like Evanston, Illinois, and Asheville, North Carolina, have launched local reparations programs. Evanston made history as the first U.S. city to approve direct housing-related payouts to Black residents. Nationally, dozens of cities have formed exploratory commissions, signaling that reparations are no longer just a theoretical demand—they’re here.
And yet, some of the country’s leading researchers and organizers say the public conversation is still too narrow:
On Sunday, August 4 at 1 PM ET, Media 2070 will host a special Instagram Live conversation featuring Joe Torres and Trevor Smith, contributors to Liberation Stories: Building Narrative Power for 21st Century Social Movements.
Their chapter in the book focuses on media justice and calls on readers to widen their lens: What if reparations weren’t just about individual payouts—but about transforming the systems that created this very harm in the first place?
Moderated by Mañón Media Management CEO Tianna Mañón, the conversation will highlight how repair must include deeper changes—from shifting who controls the narrative to reimagining entire public systems like media, education, and housing.
About Liberation Stories
Liberation Stories is a newly released anthology exploring what reparations could look like in practice. Edited by leading voices in the reparationist space, the book brings together essays on culture, policy, media, wealth, and healing to paint a multifaceted vision of Black liberation. The authors featured in the IG Live offer a powerful lens into how media institutions—historically complicit in Black harm—can become tools for repair.
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