Over the weekend, popular Atlanta-based rapper and actor T.I. issued an open letter to Lloyd’s of London, calling on the well-known insurance company to pay direct compensation for its role in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. In doing so, Clifford Harris, Jr., who goes by the name T.I., called attention to the growing demand for reparations to be paid to descendants of American slaves.
The IT letter, posted on Instagram, comes a month after the British insurance giant declared its ties to the transatlantic slave industry, a racist and dehumanizing business that took a stand between 1525 and 1866. The slave industry would have sent 12.5 million. Africans on the other side of the Atlantic, 10.7 million of whom survived the adventure and were enslaved to America.
Recognizing his role beyond in the slave industry last month, Lloyd’s repented. “There are certain facets of our history that we are not proud of. It was a dreadful and shameful era in British history, as well as in ours, and we condemn the indefensible misdeed that took place in this age. Lloyd’s also made indistinct commitments to address its beyond prejudice, with the New York Times reporting at the time that Lloyd’s would recruit more black and minority candidates, invest in diversity and inclusion programs, and make a contribution to the relevant charities.
For IT, this commitment is incomplete. In writing his open letter “as a representative of the descendants of enslaved Africans,” the artist asked Lloyd’s to take into account his beyond and directly pay for his “shameful role” in the damage he allowed.
“We learned that your business was based on the blood, sweat and tears of our ancestors. We’ve noticed that he apologizes for his “shameful role” in the transatlantic slave trade, but that’s not enough,” T.I. said. Wrote. “I will have to deal directly with the fact that, while many corporations and organizations like yours denounce beyond behavior, are verbally shaped by duty and even the percentage of emotions of contrition in public, it never turns out to be enough, if anything, a serious mirror image. or discussion on how to pay the descendants of the African slave.”
The letter goes on to say that Lloyd’s past commitments are “too vague” and suggests reparations and “an open discussion on how to replace [Lloyd’s] business practices to address long-standing injustices, adding anti-black racism and economic injustice. The suggested repairs come with Lloyd’s ten% ownership of descendants of African slaves, diversification of Lloyd’s board of directors, and low-interest loans to African-Americans. The letter also asks for the repair plan until the fall of 2020.
“We ask for an express call to action that includes, even if limited to, direct reparations to families that have been taken from their home countries and sold as assets while their business has earned the merit of all this shameful enterprise.” A.i. Wrote.
When you publish your letter, T.I. adds more fuel to the ongoing verbal exchange in the United States about restorative judges for the ancestors of American slavery. As the United States grapps with its racist beyond in the wake of national protests opposed to police violence, the factor of reparations is gaining momentum, as many call on the country to regard, in spite of everything, face its greatest ancient injustice. The legislation makes its way through Congress that would identify a commission to explore the factor of reparations and make explicit recommendations for long-term initiatives. But for many critics, the existing Congressional law does not adequately adapt to the genuine and existing need for economic justice for direct descendants of those who were enslaved in the United States.
According to studies compiled through the Brookings Institute in its policy note titled “Why Do We Need Repairs for African Americans?”, the average white circle of relatives has about ten times more wealth than the average black circle of relatives, and white graduates have more than seven times the wealth of black college graduates. Together, Professor William “Sandy” Darity, Jr., Professor Emeritus Samuel DuBois Cook of Public Policy at Duke University, and Kristen Mullen, founder of Artefactual, recently wrote an e-book on the subject, “From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the 21st Century.” In their e-book, they both argue that it is ultimately the elimination of this huge monetary wealth hole between black Americans and white Americans that will have to be at the center of reparation efforts. Both estimate that, in the end, the hole will require between $10 and $12 trillion in federal investment.
For its part, T.I. it turns out to agree with those who call for a sense of urgency about the reparation factor, arguing that the discussion deserves not only to come with the U.S. government, but also to corporations that benefit from the slave trade. By harnessing its celebrity strength to bring a critical factor to the forefront not only of popular culture, but also of national dialogue, IT. he uses his voice to do more than just make music. It’s helping to right America’s greatest old injustice.
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As the founder of Applied Optimism, a network and business design lab, leaders of all kinds catalyze the goal, wisdom, and unsalities of their consumers to
As the founder of Applied Optimism, a network and business design lab, I help leaders of all kinds catalyze the goal, wisdom, and non-unusual wonder of their customers to achieve their organization’s goals. My 20 years of experience in international, government, and philanthropic organizations have inspired me about how leaders apply positive and inclusive responses to their maximum and challenging challenges.