THE LONGHOUSE COALITION

REPARATIONS FOR AFRICAN AMERICANS

   Our platform provides a basis for full healing in this country. After returning portions of the National Forest to the First Nations, addressing the Reparations issue with African Americans naturally follows. We have the historic opportunity to right two of the most basic and grievous wrongs that have blighted our country's soul, encouraging a denial that's grown so large as a nation, we now have Bush. It's time we meet past injustices and heal them fairly. Since our platform wasn't crafted by corporatistas, we can offer the People what's best for Them.  In turn, we'll give the People a real reason to jump up out of their chairs and carry us to victory!

    For African Americans, that means the equivalent of 40 acres promised every freed slave after the Civil War. Because our farming platform redirects agriculture subsidies from Agri-giants to farmers making less than $1 million/year, the net result will be the giant agricultural corporations will go under, while small farmers thrive. The Agri-giants are built on the snatched-away land of small farmers, many of whom were driven bankrupt. Now, as they go under and declare Chapter 11, the land can be re-allocated to small farmers, and here's where Reparations comes in.

   While the promise by the federal government was never fully delivered, there's also a question as to whether this meant 40 acres to each child, or to heads of households. Although common sense says it wasn't meant to make baronial estates, the Homestead Act of 1862, a parellel law, specifies family heads of 21 years or older. The spirit of the promise would have meant heads of households,or perhaps one quarter of the total population, yet there's the years of justice denied to factor in, too.

   It turns out that if we take the middle road, half of 3.5 million freed slaves to 1.75 million, and then multiply that by the 40 acres each, we come up with an area of land similar to that returned to the First Nations--about 110,000 sq. mi., which is about 1 and ½ Nebraskas.

   From that we subtract the area of farmland in farms 40 acres or larger currently owned by African American farmers, and the difference is the 'New Reparations' land, something closer to the size of 1 Nebraska.

    As the Agri-giants die, the recovered land will go first to African American farmers, up to the full New Reparations land area. All recovered farmland after that will be allocated through a lottery of farmers who've had their farms repossessed by the banks.

   To provide balance with African Americans in the cities, for the next fifty years, 10% of the annual normal taxes on farms in the New Reparations area will be directed half to providing scholarships for African American children, and the other half to providing funds for urban renewal projects for African American companies.

   For recovered land in addition to the New Reparations area, 10% of taxes would be divided, with half going for scholarships for rural children, and half going for development of jobs in areas where factories have been shut down, and unemployment is high, namely, the cities.

    Now, there's always the possibility someone could receive a farm and just sell it and take the money and run. That wouldn't work, because that denies others their share, or their continued income from the 10% fund.

   This is simplest done on a fifty year scale. The farmer gains 2% equity in the farm for every year the farmer is there. The rest remains with the 'People'. If a farm is sold, the farmer gets his equity portion only (2% times years occupied), while the remainder is split three ways, going back to the People. One third to other farmers, one third to scholarships, and one third to urban development.