Reparatory Justice and Reparations
Reparatory Justice, Truth-Telling, Conciliation and Healing – An Interactive Educational Study Guide for the Christian Church in the 21st Century
In 2003, Reparations: A Process for Repairing the Breach, a study and discussion guide presented to the 24th General Synod of the United Church of Christ. Not much has happened regarding the study guide’s use within the UCC congregations since it was introduced, according to Bernice Powell Jackson.
About the Study & Discussion Guide
The study and discussion guide is an educational resource intended to assist local churches, Conferences and Associations engage in dialogue and actively study historical and contemporary issues related to the enslavement of African descended people. The study and discussion guide educated and conveyed a more accurate historical account of slavery and treatment of African descended people. A counter-narrative remains necessary to refute settler colonialism history and narratives taught nationally and globally.
As a result of settler colonialism’s teachings, 73 million people believe and support white supremacy based on the November 2020 election.
Reparatory justice and the case for reparations is a global, multilingual, and multinational conversation. Ongoing conversations are signs of hope and affirmation that people of African descent remain committed to speaking out and educating people on the injustices inflicted during 500 years of global hegemony, the kidnapping and enslavement of African descended people, genocide of indigenous populations, and theft of lands and resources.
The inclusion of people groups—Indigenous North Americans, Latin Americans/Mexicans, and Asian/Pacific Islanders/Hawaiians—that have suffered the loss of large populations of people, land, and resources due to European invasion and colonialism is integral to the larger narrative of reparatory justice. Reparatory Justice and Reparations launches a new interactive educational web-based platform with resources in Spring 2022 with webinars and toolkits for the ongoing work leading to strategies with recommendations implementing long-term reparations plan within the United Church of Christ.
The 2021 resources include short and long-term strategies associated with an overall plan and implementation beyond a soft-launch during UCC General Synod 33, July 2021. The RJR updates to the original study guide are intended to enlarge reparations education, and complement and live alongside the United Nations 2015-2024 initiative, The UN Decade for People of African Descent.
