The Legacy Coalition:

Statement of Purpose

(Presented at Conference on Reparations hosted by the Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Prohect at Northeastern University in November, 2020)

In the names of Samuel Mason Bacon, Elmore Bolling, Royal Cyril Brooks, Hosea Carter, Russell Charley, Anthony Crawford, Henry Gilbert, Charles Moore, Lent Shaw, Laura Wood, and countless others whose names are erased from the annals of history, we, the descendants of American citizens lynched in state sanctioned acts of terror, announce our pursuit of reparations for the indescribable pain visited upon our families by these horrific events. We arrive at this critical moment united by a shared legacy of intergenerational trauma, emboldened by a growing body of scholarship and archival evidence supporting our claims, and steadfast in our commitment to honoring the lives of our murdered ancestors. Our aim is to petition for redress of grievances and receipt of reparative justice until our nation recognizes its debt to our collective humanity and that of our terrorized and murdered fore parents.

Why us and why now?

• As the progeny of individuals murdered to reinforce the racial caste system of Jim Crow and the hegemonic ideology of white supremacy, we stand in proxy for the courageous men and women who reassembled entire existences in the aftermath of heinous lynchings. Their blood cries out to be heard and we are that blood.
• As Black American citizens, we issue a call for acknowledgement and reparative payments of redress. We acknowledge the centuries of appeals that preceded ours, understanding that the U.S. will never be the nation projected in its founding documents, without first acknowledging, and atoning for the unspeakable, criminal hardship inflicted upon our families.
• We acknowledge that our nation’s record of murderous plunder targeting Black Americans cannot be confined to the “Lynching Era.” We, the descendants of lynching victims, understand the senseless execution of Breonna Taylor as part of this hideous American legacy. We watched the casual and gruesome murder of George Floyd and heard the echoes of our ancestors from graves across this nation. Our claim for reparations is an extension and honoring of those that preceded us, and a harbinger of more comprehensive future efforts.

Ours is not a distant pain; it is an unrelenting ache that informs each moment of each day, and our existence has been shaped by that irreparable harm. Our communities, our schools, our access to wealth, and our quality of life have all been shaped by the tragic events of our collective past. These lynchings would not have been possible if not for the pervasive, deliberate, and unyieldingly racist policies of federal, state, and municipal government, as well as the implicit support of private industry and local civic leaders.

While our family histories and personal experiences form a powerful basis for our claim for redress, ultimate success will require significant support from the community of scholars, activists, journalists, civic leaders and progressive institutions whose work aligns with our mission. The Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project (CRRJ) at Northeastern University School of Law, founded by Dr. Margaret Burnham, has been an invaluable resource and will continue to provide critical advice and counsel as we develop an actionable plan for reparative justice for lynching victims. It is our most sincere hope that an additional cohort of experts and supporters will lend their insights, expertise and enthusiasm to the effort.