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As idea of reparations gains broader support, controversy arises over how to put into practice

William Darity and A. Kirsten Mullen, authors of "The Black Reparations Project"
Photo credit Justin B. Cook
William Darity and A. Kirsten Mullen, authors of "The Black Reparations Project"

Reparations for past harms to Black people is a concept that many Americans have come to support, but how to put the idea into practice has become complicated and controversial.

Sala Menaya-Merritt, Director of Equity and Inclusion for the City of Asheville, talks with co-host Leoneda Inge about the efforts of Asheville’s Community Reparations Commission and the challenges they've faced as they try to provide redress for Black community members.

Then, Leoneda talks with economist Dr. William ("Sandy") Darity and writer A. Kirsten Mullen about their research on the direct connection between slavery and today’s racial wealth gap, and how reparations from the federal government are essential to our country’s reckoning with our past and present. They are two of the editors of The Black Reparations Project: A Handbook for Racial Justice.

Guests

Sala Menaya-Merritt, Director, Equity and Inclusion, City of Asheville

William A. (“Sandy”) Darity Jr., Professor in the Sanford School of Public Policy, Professor of African and African American Studies and Professor of Economics, Duke University

A. Kirsten Mullen, writer, folklorist, museum consultant, and lecturer whose work focuses on race, art, history, and politics

Leoneda Inge is the co-host of WUNC's "Due South." Leoneda has been a radio journalist for more than 30 years, spending most of her career at WUNC as the Race and Southern Culture reporter. Leoneda’s work includes stories of race, slavery, memory and monuments. She has won "Gracie" awards, an Alfred I. duPont Award and several awards from the Radio, Television, Digital News Association (RTDNA). In 2017, Leoneda was named "Journalist of Distinction" by the National Association of Black Journalists.
Rachel McCarthy is a producer for "Due South." She previously worked at WUNC as a producer for "The Story with Dick Gordon." More recently, Rachel was podcast managing editor at Capitol Broadcasting Company where she developed narrative series and edited a daily podcast. She also worked at "The Double Shift" podcast as supervising producer. Rachel learned about audio storytelling at the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies. Prior to working in audio journalism, she was a research assistant at the Aspen Institute in Washington, DC.