The Issue of Reparations

Working in collaboration with Carnegie Mellon's Professor Joe Trotter and his participation in a national “Crafting Democratic Futures Project (CDF),” Carnegie Mellon’s Program for Deliberative Democracy developed and implemented a “Deliberative Forum on the Issue of Reparations.” The agenda for the Forum emerged from two retreats sponsored by CMU's Center for Africanamerican Urban Studies & the Economy (CAUSE).

The Forum was held on September 23rd, 2023 at the Kingsley Association in the Larimer neighborhood of Pittsburgh. Participants had access to a Discussion Guide and participated in moderated, roundtable conversations along with a plenary Q&A session with a Resource Panel. Results of this Forum along with the Discussion Guide are available here for download.

This work is part of a larger, national initiative led by Dr. Earl Lewis of the Univeristy of Michigan’s Center for Social Solutions. Ten colleges and universities including Historical Black campuses participated in a 3 year Andrew Mellon grant program. The effort also included the production of a PBS documentary entitled The Cost of Inheritance, co-produced by WQED.