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Program summary by Walter Impert.

Phill Briscoe was our guest for a program presentation on Reparations on October 22, 2020.

A native Kansan, Phill moved to Washington state in 1972 to be a Lecturer in Ethnic Studies at Central Washington State College (CWU). Phill soon learned that he was jack of all, but master of none.  Beside being a teacher, Phill has been a realtor, debt collector, small loan manager, insurance agent, small business networking support, and is now retired. Phill considers himself a lifelong learner and has focused on Black history and Black political thought since he was an undergraduate. 

Phill is a disciple in Hun yuan Tai chi and Taoism at the Taoist Institute under the direction of Shi Fu Zhi Chen.

Phill is a past–and future–long time member of the University Sunrise Rotary Club.

Phil Briscoe spoke about “The Debt”.  The debt is the elephant in the room, because race is always the elephant in the room.  Of course, The Debt refers to reparations owed to the descendants of African slaves, who have never been compensated for their work in building this country and creating its wealth over generations.  Though toil of slave labor built the wealth of this nation, today African Americans manifestly and disproportionately do not share in the wealth of the country.  Blacks are 13% of the U.S. population but hold 3% of the wealth.  Blacks are also over-represented in the prison system, in twelve states, blacks represent over half of the prison population.  Phil later noted that an exception to the 13^th amendment, prohibiting forced labor, is for those found guilty of a crime.

Phil reminded us that reparations had been promised after the civil war – 40 acres, a mule, and $100 – but after Lincoln’s death, Andrew Johnson killed the idea.  How did slavery build the country?  Slaves cleared land, raised food and white children, developed land, and produced wealth for the new World and the old World.  The wealth created by forced labor has never been adequately addressed, rather, post-slavery the law of the land and our institutions, again and again, made it harder for Blacks to get ahead.  These included unjustified wealth distribution, black codes, the Plessy v. Ferguson decision, Jim Crow, redlining and housing discrimination, vagrancy laws and the disproportionate impact of policing and the criminal justice system, to name a few examples.

What is needed is healing and repair.  Truth and reconciliation is not enough.  The elements of healing and repair include Cessation, Restitution, Satisfaction and Rehabilitation.  Importantly, restitution means compensation and making whole.  Rehabilitation includes health and psychological services.

There is precedent for reparations.  Native Americans, Japanese Americans after internment, and Germany and World War II all received reparations of some sort.  Many Americans reflexively dismiss reparations by reciting myths and cheap shots.  Phil addressed these tropes which include: America has done so much for you, you would be worse off in Africa; why should current taxpayers pay for the actions of those who acted wrongly long ago, Black Americans have already benefited from Affirmative Action, and why can’t Black Americans pull themselves up by their bootstraps? 

Finally, Phil discussed the mechanics of how reparations would work, including how to identify the claimants, the respondents, the form for forms that reparations might take, and considerations.  Phil’s priority for reparations would be building black unity and black communities. Other components would include protected class status, education, health, business grants, financial literacy, individual payments, college tuition, and student loan forgiveness, all written in plain language.  There were many questions and club members expressed their appreciation to Phil for making a difficult topic accessible.

For further study, Phil recommended The Case For Reparations from Dr. Claud Anderson and Rock Newman and Black Labor, White Wealth by Dr. Anderson.

You can find the slides that Phill used here:

Here is Phill’s recommended reading list:

Black Economic Wealth Gap Resources

History

1. 10 Black Scholars Who Debunked Eurocentric Propaganda
   https://atlantablackstar.com/2013/10/06/10-black-scholars-debunked-eurocentric-propaganda/
2. Christopher Columbus and the Afrikan Holocaust: Slavery and the Rise of European Capitalism, Dr John Henrik Clarke
3. Black Labor/White Wealth, Dr Claud Anderson.

Psychology

1. Black Skins/White Masks, Franz Fanon.
2. Malcom X-House Negro and the Field Negro (Video)
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jf7rsCAfQCo
3. The Isis Papers – Dr Frances Cress Welsing
4. The Falsification of Afrikan Consciousness: Amos Wilson
5. Kindred by Octavia Butler

Economic Wealth Gap

1. “Why we need Reparations for Black People”,
   Brookings summary:
   https://www.fastcompany.com/90461708/why-wealth-equality-remains-out-of-reach-for-black-americans
2. “How Housing Finance Enriched Whites at Expense of Black Borrowers” – Bloomberg.
   https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2019-06-17/how-housing-finance-enriched-whites-at-expense-of-black-borrowers
3. Empire of Cotton, Atlantic Article, by Sven Beckert. https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/12/empire-of-cotton/383660/
4. Empire of Cotton: A Global History, book by Sven Beckert.
5. The Half Has Never Been Told: Slavery and the Making of American Capitalism, Book by Edward E. Baptist

Case for Reparations

1. “The Case for Reparations by Ta-Nehisi Coates – The Atlantic,
   https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/06/the-case-for-reparations/361631/  
2. “A Nation Built on the Backs of Slavery and Racism”, Truthout article, https://truthout.org/articles/forty-acres-and-a-mule-would-be-at-least-6-4-trillion-today-what-the-us-really-owes-black-america/
3. Treaty of 1866 – Choctaw & Chickasaw Nation, http://www.african-nativeamerican.com/treaty66.htm
4. “Case for Reparations”, William Darity, “Crisis Magazine”.
   https://www.thecrisismagazine.com/single-post/2019/09/09/The-Case-For-Reparations

Reparations Models

1. Contract with Black America-Ice Cube
   https://contractwithblackamerica.us/
2. Reparations Across The Board
   https://www.blackchannelfilms.com/documents/wbpd.pdf
3. The National African American Reparations Commission.  https://ibw21.org/initiative-posts/naarc-posts/naarc-rolls-out-preliminary-10-point-reparations-plan/
4. ADOS (American Descendants of African Slaves)
   https://ados101.com/black-agenda
5. Reparations Model-Dr Claud Anderson
   https://youtu.be/-26bg9fQNOQ  

Miscellaneous

1. Affirmative Action Myth Busters
   https://www.acluok.org/sites/default/files/wp/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Affirmative-Action-Mythbusters.pd 
2. White women benefit most from affirmative action — and are among its fiercest opponents
   https://www.vox.com/2016/5/25/11682950/fisher-supreme-court-white-women-affirmative-action

Academic Discussion re: Wealth Gap

1. Why it’s important to study disparities within ethnic groups | Glenn Loury & William “Sandy” Darity-Economic Discussion.
   You Tube Video:  https://youtu.be/VMGJVXnpgzw
2. “What we get wrong about closing the wealth gap,” William Darity.
   https://socialequity.duke.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/what-we-get-wrong.pdf
3. “Why Does Racial Inequities Exist,” Glenn Loury.
   https://media4.manhattan-institute.org/sites/default/files/R-0519-GL.pdf
    

Ponder this…

On a lighter note, here’s something we can all agree on:

The vaccine should be tested on politicians first.


If they survive, the vaccine is safe.



If they don’t, the country is safe.

😷

Led by Isaac McNally, the Club organized a food drive for the University Food Bank at the University Village QFC on Saturday, October 17, 2020. 1200 lbs. of food were collected.

Thank you to:  Mike Madden, Lee Raaen, Lincoln Ferris, Sarah Cave, Nancy Bitner, Colleen White, Scott Jamieson, Dave Mushen, Tom Ranken, Paul Weibel, Hal Beals, Ed Brondson, and Mike Bronsdon who made it all happen.

Paul Weibel, Scribe

Our program on October 15, 2020 featured Dr. Stewart Lyman, Oncologist and HPV vaccine advocate.

Dr. Lyman is an independent consultant to the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry. He has thirty-one years of experience in biotechnology and drug development. His clients have included small biotech start-ups with a one-time project need as well as big multi-national pharmaceutical companies that require ongoing services. He also works with venture capital firms and financial institutions to evaluate new technologies and review scientific data.

At Immunex, Dr. Lyman was Director, Extramural Research. He headed a group that ran one of the largest research collaboration programs in the world. The group oversaw some 2,500 collaborations during that time and sent over 1,000 unique reagents to over 1,000 different research institutions worldwide.

He was diagnosed with HPV-attributed tonsil cancer in 2016.

There are 170 strains of Human papillomavirus (HPV), 6 of which can cause cancer.  It is the most common form of sexually transmitted disease. Chances of a woman having HPV by the time she is 45 years-old is between 80% and 90%.  The most common form of HPV caused cancer in woman is cervical cancer and for men it is oral cancer.  

The HPV vaccine was introduced in 2006.  Recommended by age 11.  Since then there has been a large decrease in infections.  No single exam can detect HPV and there are no antibodies.  The immune system can eliminate the virus.  Odds are about 1% +/- that HPV will result in cancer.  The HPV vaccine will prevent 6 types of cancer.  More information can be found at hpvcancerresources.org.  

On October 8, 2020, our program featured presentations from Mercy Housing and Solid Ground. These are two organizations with which our club works to be a positive force in dealing with homelessness, especially with people of color. Our efforts with them focus on the programs located in the Sand Point area of Seattle.

Solid Ground believes that housing and family stability are foundational to ending poverty. They help families keep or obtain housing and get support to overcome poverty & thrive. Solid Ground works to end poverty and undo racism and other oppressions that are root causes of poverty. Solid Ground envisions a community beyond poverty and oppression where all people have equitable opportunity to thrive.

Mercy Housing handles every aspect of the affordable housing process, from project financing and housing development to community outreach and long-term resident services. We provide a custom approach to affordable housing which allows us to help more people and more communities while ensuring that each project is completed to our high standards. As one of the largest, most experienced affordable housing providers in the country, we are proud to offer a model of full-spectrum support for individuals and communities, including:

Tamara Brown of Solid Ground has been working to end homelessness in our community for the last 30 years. She has seen it grow, she says, as the result of income inequality increased, wage growth stalled, affordable housing decreased, and the wholesale ignoring of mental health and addiction needs in our community.  For fifteen years, at Catholic Community services in South King County, she worked as a program manager for several housing programs, eventually as Family Center Director. She worked inside the King County Regional Justice Center for five years with homeless men and women as they transitioned back into the community after incarceration.  She served as Chair of SKCCH for over 3 years.   In 2005, she took a position as a Program Manager at Solid Ground, and during the last 15 years, she has worked in various capacities throughout the agency, including the development and management of housing at Magnuson Park and oversight of various programs.  Currently, she is one of the managers on the campus, working primarily with our single homeless populations.

Lindsey Karas is the Resident Services Managers for Mercy Housing Northwest since March 2020. She currently oversees Resident Services programs at Mercy Magnuson Place and other Mercy Housing properties in Snohomish and Whatcom counties. Before becoming a manager, Lindsey worked at another Mercy Housing property in Bellingham since 2008. She is bilingual in Spanish and is dedicated to helping low-income families improve their economic well-being and ensure academic success for their children. She is a past recipient of the Ken Gass Community Building Award from the Whatcom Family and Community Network and the Community Champions award from Molina Healthcare of Washington. She also won the Peace Builder Award for her work with the residents at Sterling Meadows Apartments in 2017.

Mercy Housing is largest nonprofit affordable housing in country. It provides housing for seniors families and people with special needs. There is staff at the facility on site to help with issues. 342 people are served. There are many students in public schools that are low or very low income resident.

There have been issues with rent and financial stability during COVID, as well as issues with remote learning. The staff helps with remote learning support. Staff are working on increasing literacy for young children. They need tutors for kids and books. Residents are from many countries and many languages are spoken.

Tamara Brown has been involved with the Club’s annual block party since its inception fifteen years ago.

Many of the residents are from a place where no one has cared about them.

Solid Ground is an agency that has hunger and food outreach, serves homeless people, and provides housing programs. There is transportation access for low income people.

Solid Ground has a partnership with Mercy Housing. Mercy Housing manages Solid Ground’s properties. The mission of Solid Ground is to end poverty by addressing racism, unemployment, health issues. Most important are services to kids as poverty and homelessness tends to be generational. They encourage kids to stay in school and graduate from high school.

Many of the residents have disabilities. Mental health issues have escalated during Covid.

A Boys and Girls Club is coming to children’s program. It has had a delayed start due to COVID-19.

They have after school tutoring and activities. All are socially distant.

Solid Ground is endeavoring to make sure people have what they need for coming winter months.

It is a challenge to get people to wear masks and keep distant. Many people have mental health issues, often related to having been homeless.

The housing facility has families from many countries including Ethiopia, Kenya, Congo, Mexico, and Iran.  Most of our families speak English.  Here is the break up of the languages and the number of families:

Language	# of households with primary language
English	125
Amharic	9
Farsi	3
Tigrinya	3
Spanish	2
Arabic	2
Swahili	1
Afrikaans	1
Lingala	1
Urdu	1

Please let me know if there are any more questions!