Asking Democratic presidential candidates about reparations for slavery seems to have become standard, ahead of 2020. And it has left many candidates scrambling to respond. But the debate around whether or not -- and how -- to fund reparations for black Americans goes far beyond being a political talking point. For Maxine Crump, a descendant of enslaved people, the goal is clear:
“It’s a repayment for what has been owed.”
Crump is a descendant of slaves sold by Georgetown University in 1838, and President and CEO of Dialogue on Race Louisiana. Tanzina sat down with Maxine to talk about reparations in America: what they could look like, and what it would take to make them a reality. Also joining the conversation was Katherine Franke of Columbia University, author of the forthcoming book "Repair: Redeeming the Promise of Abolition," and Nkechi Taifa, an attorney and founding member of The National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America.