REPARATIONSCyberpower in the 21st Century,A Path to Freedom for Africans

and African Americans

Abdul Alkalimat, University of ToledoApril 5, 2001

Key questions

• Ideology: Is there a case for reparations?

• Strategy: What is the relationship between reparations and freedom?

• Tactics: What is a viable program for freedom/reparations struggle?

Is there a case for reparations?

• Great crime produced great accumulation

• Great economic extremes have been perpetuated

• Black oppression continues

• Reparations established as legal precedent

“We will fight for reparations. Reparations is a well-established principle of international law that should be applied in the U.S. Historically, the U.S. has been both the recipient and disburser of reparations. As the descendants of enslaved Africans, we have the legal and moral right to receive just compensation for the oppression, and systematic brutality and economic exploitation Black people have suffered historically and continue to experience today. Thus, we seek reparations from the U.S. …”

Point 12 of the Freedom Agenda of the Black Radical Congress

Strategic orientation

Freedom = Ending the system of oppression

Reparations = Ending the ills of slavery and its legacy

Revolution: 19th century reparations struggle for land

• Agricultural policy for the southern region

• Civil War and “40 acres and a mule”

• Regional consolidation of racist fascism in the South and liberal pseudo-democracy in the North

Reform: 20th century reparations struggle for jobs

• Mass assembly line industrial production

• Civil Rights Movement and trade unions

• From equal opportunity to affirmative action to reverse racism

21st century rethinking of reparations in the information revolution

• Technological changes have created a new stage of history

• The digital divide: fighting for cyberdemocracy in the information society

• Social cyberpower: cyberorganizing in the information revolution

Fundamental choice today: reparations as reform or revolution?

Reform: individual settlements, apology, all forms of affirmative action. Main task to debate legitimacy of reparations with mainstream.

Revolution: change of the system to end commodification of knowledge and install a comprehensive program of public computing and universal computer literacy. Main task to build mass consensus and power bases united in struggle.

Revolutionary core values for the information society

• Cyberdemocracy: Everyone has access to technology

• Collective intelligence: Everyone’s voice is included

• Information freedom: Information and ideas are free for everyone

First, our people are the source of our legitimacy!

• Class has been the basis for citizenship in the information society

• Black poor people continue as second class citizens, excluded

• Main task is to educate and mobilize the victims of social excusion

Second, our fight is for a new type of Black power and integration

Power = 21st century social cyberpower

Integration = participation in cyberspace

Third, our movement is for immediate practical changes

• Community technology centers

• Digitization of the Black experience

• Public ownership of knowledge

Academic excellence and social responsibility

Study and struggle

Theory and practice