A Strategic Plan for Gaining Reparations: Legislative, Legal, and Public Advocacy

Approaches Prepared by Rodney LaBruce & the Unified Advocacy and Leadership Coalition (UALC)

Executive Summary

Reparations are not about asking for charity—they are about justice. They are about fulfilling a debt that has been owed for generations. From the moment the first Africans were forced onto American soil, through slavery, Jim Crow, redlining, mass incarceration, and systemic discrimination, Black Americans have been denied the opportunity to build wealth, access education, and live freely in the country they helped build.

But today, even within our own community, voices are asking, “Why reparations? What good would it do? Haven’t we moved on?” These are honest questions, but they are rooted in a misunderstanding of the full scope of harm and what justice truly demands.

As William A. Darity Jr. and A. Kirsten Mullen argue in From Here to Equality, reparations are not just about slavery. They are about the cumulative impact of hundreds of years of racist policies that created a racial wealth gap so wide that, if nothing changes, it will take Black families over 200 years to catch up.

This paper outlines a clear and strategic plan to close that gap—not with symbolic gestures, but with real, transformative policies. The plan includes direct cash payments, land grants, educational and business investments, legal action, and long-term community trust funds. It is bold, but it is necessary.

Frederick Douglass once said, in response to the question of what to do with Black people after emancipation:

“Do nothing with us! Your doing with us has already played the mischief with us. Do nothing with us! If the apples will not remain on the tree of their own strength... let them fall! All I ask is, give him a chance to stand on his own legs! Let him alone!”

But the truth is, we were never given that chance. Every time we began to build, the system found a way to take it away—whether through violence, laws, or economic exclusion. Reparations are about finally giving us that chance. Not a handout. A reckoning. A correction. A promise fulfilled.

This is not a get-fixed-quick scheme. It is a multi-layered, intentional movement designed to repair what was broken, restore what was stolen, and renew what has long been neglected.

The time for half-measures is over. The time for justice is now.

Introduction

The demand for reparations is not about asking for charity, it is about holding the U.S. government accountable for a historical debt that remains unpaid. As descendants of those enslaved on American soil, we are owed restitution for the economic theft that built this country but left our ancestors and their descendants in a cycle of systemic disenfranchisement. This paper outlines a three-pronged strategy—legislative action, legal challenges, and public advocacy to achieve reparations, leveraging both the Rodney LaBruce for Congress campaign and the Unified Advocacy and Leadership Coalition (UALC) to lead this charge.

Amount We Should Seek

Based on historical and economic analyses, we propose that the total reparations package should be at least $14 trillion—a figure rooted in studies of the racial wealth gap and the economic value of stolen labor during slavery and the post-slavery era of racial exclusion.

This compensation should be distributed in multiple forms, including:

1. Direct Cash Payments to American Descendants of Slavery (ADOS)

• Eligible individuals (ADOS) receive a one-time or structured payout of $250,000/10 per person, ensuring financial autonomy and allowing recipients to invest, save, or use the funds according to their needs.
• Payments can be made over time (e.g., $25,000 per year for 10 years) to minimize economic shocks while ensuring long-term benefits.
• Federal legislation will protect these payments from being taxed or seized by creditors (e.g., for student loans, child support, or medical debt).

2. Land Grants and Property Tax Relief

• Eligible ADOS individuals receive free land grants (especially in historically Black regions) to promote generational wealth and homeownership.
• Current Black homeowners receive property tax relief or full tax forgiveness to prevent displacement in gentrifying areas.
• The government provides land allocation in areas where Black communities were forcibly removed due to redlining, urban renewal, and eminent domain.

3. Business and Homeownership Grants

• ADOS entrepreneurs receive business startup and expansion grants (not loans) to encourage Black-owned economic empowerment.
• First-time Black homebuyers receive down payment assistance and 0% interest mortgage programs, ensuring wealth-building through home equity.

4. Educational Debt Cancellation

• All student loan debt for ADOS individuals is fully canceled to relieve financial burdens and enable investment in wealth-building opportunities.
• Additional free tuition and grants for higher education at public universities and HBCUs for future ADOS students.
• Federal funding for career training programs and apprenticeships, ensuring economic mobility beyond traditional four-year degrees.

5. Federal Trust Funds for Long-Term Investment in Black Communities

• A National Reparations Trust Fund (NRTF) is created with a multi-billion-dollar endowment to fund Black communities permanently.
• The trust fund provides ongoing infrastructure investment, job training programs, healthcare access, and community development.
• Funds are managed by Black-led organizations and structured similarly to Native American tribal trust funds, ensuring sustainable economic development for future generations.

Legislative Strategy

Reparations require federal action. Our campaign will push for the following policies:

1. Establishing a Federal Reparations Commission

While H.R. 40 was an important first step in raising national awareness about reparations, it has remained stalled in Congress for decades with no meaningful progress. Its prolonged stagnation risks becoming a distraction rather than a vehicle for real justice.

Therefore, we propose new, stronger legislation to establish a Federal Reparations Commission empowered to act decisively. This commission must have the authority to:

• Conduct comprehensive research on the economic, social, and legal damages caused by slavery, Jim Crow laws, redlining, and systemic racial discrimination.
• Develop concrete recommendations for direct cash payments, land grants, educational and business investments, and community trust funds.
• Propose binding legislative solutions, not merely offer symbolic studies or non-binding suggestions.
• Ensure that reparations eligibility is limited to the American Descendants of Slavery (ADOS)—specifically excluding voluntary Black immigrants who arrived after the end of slavery.

This commission must be action-oriented, not just another academic exercise. It must be given a clear mandate, a defined timeline, and the power to propose enforceable solutions to Congress.

2. Passing a Reparations Act

Once the commission presents its findings, we will advocate for a comprehensive Reparations Act to allocate funds for ADOS communities. This bill should include provisions ensuring that reparations are not piecemeal but structural and transformative.

3. Rewriting Tax Codes and Investment Policies

• Redirect corporate tax incentives toward funding reparations
• Offer tax-exempt status for reparations recipients
• Invest in long-term Black wealth creation through government-backed trusts

4. State & Local Reparations Models

While federal reparations are the ultimate goal, we will support local and state-level initiatives as stepping stones, including:

• Pushing for reparations policies in Texas and other states with high ADOS populations
• Advocating for city-level funds similar to Evanston, IL’s housing reparations program

Legal Strategy: Taking Reparations to the Courts

The legal system has long been a tool for social change, and we must leverage it in the fight for reparations.

1. Lawsuits Against the U.S. Government

Using precedents from cases like Henrietta Wood v. Ward, we will argue that the U.S. government owes restitution for its role in slavery and post-slavery discrimination.

2. Targeting Corporations That Profited from Slavery

• Hold financial institutions, insurance companies, and universities accountable for their historical involvement in slavery.
• File lawsuits demanding financial compensation and restitution funds for ADOS communities.

3. Supreme Court Challenges

• While we work through Congress, we will pursue constitutional challenges, arguing that the government’s failure to provide reparations violates principles of equal protection and due process.

Public Advocacy: Winning the Court of Public Opinion

Legislation and lawsuits alone are not enough. We must prioritize the mobilization of public support to make reparations politically unavoidable.

1. Mass Mobilization & Protests

• Organizing UALC-led national marches for reparations
• Creating a Reparations Day of Action with coordinated protests
• Partnering with universities, HBCUs, and student organizations to educate and mobilize young activists, ensuring long-term engagement in the reparations movement

2. Media and Narrative Control

• Launch a pro-reparations media campaign through social media, podcasts, and television
• Highlight individual stories of economic harm due to slavery’s legacy
• Collaborate with universities, historians, and scholars to produce research-backed content, public lectures, and educational materials that reinforce the historical and economic case for reparations
• Establish student-led advocacy programs where young activists can help shape the conversation around reparations on campuses and in their communities

Conclusion: The Path Forward

Reparations are not a pipe dream. They are a legal, moral, and economic necessity. Through legislative action, legal challenges, and public advocacy, the Rodney LaBruce campaign and UALC will push forward a structured plan to achieve reparations within the next 5 to 10 years.

This is not a “get fixed quick” scheme. It’s a strategic movement to make history. The debt is real, and we will not stop until it is paid.