Reparations On Fire! Book Talk with Nkechi Taifa

About the book:

Reparations on Fire describes history-in-the-making. It combines a historical survey and commentary on the Reparations Movement in America while addressing how pioneering reparations legislation is being born and debated in city council chambers and statehouses nationwide. It is part historical analysis, part revolutionary manifesto, and part political red-alert. Reparations on Fire brings additional value to the Reparations Movement as it goes about the necessary task of concretizing its goals and objectives and envisioning a future where Black freedom and joy can flourish. It describes how reparations went from being discussed in the radical margins of the Civil Rights Movement to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the General Assembly of the United Nations. It outlines how unsung Black Power activists such as Queen Mother Moore and Imari Obadele set the foundations for reparations to be championed by U.S. Rep John Conyers and, later, Representative Sheila Jackson Lee in the Congress of the United States -- a fight that, as this book comes out, is still being waged as reparations activists ask President Biden to sign an executive order immediately bringing a federal reparations commission to study and develop reparations proposals into existence. The quest for reparations is equal parts edgy, exciting, transformational, confrontational, messy and confusing. Reparations on Fireproves that we are now beyond rhetoric and well into action mode. Fire illuminates, purifies and brings warmth, but can also cause pain, damage and destruction. It can symbolize the eternal flame of hope, or signify ruin and demise. The spirit of reparations is sweeping the country like fire. Whether it heals or consumes depends on how America responds to its long overdue debt, and possibly portends the future of democracy, both domestic and global. *** Praise for Reparations on Fire This powerful book on Reparations is clear evidence that Attorney Taifa has been unceasing in her life-long commitment to telling the compelling truth that America must repair the impact of enslavement on African Americans! Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), / lead sponsor H.R. 40 If 'good trouble' had a baby its name would be Nkechi Taifa! Her incomparable work with systematic reform and reparations for African Americans is a game changer, and this book is her blueprint! Erika Alexander, actress/ activist/ producer; John Lewis: Good Trouble and The Big Payback Sister Nkechi's epic history of fighting for reparations as an activist and lawyer uniquely qualifies her expertise. As I collaborate with others to advance local reparations initiatives, her passion and inspiration has been critical in providing the necessary education and historical context that's been key in the momentum we see today. Robin Rue Simmons, Executive Director, FirstRepair / former Alderman, Evanston, IL Author Ayi Kwei Armah once stated in The Healers, that "sometimes a mind here, and a mind there, refused to die" under the weight of white supremacy. Our dear sister beautifully reflects that mind that refused to die, that chose to illuminate the truth, and is using her insight to inspire and heal in Reparations on Fire. Dr. Cheryl Tawede Grills, Member, California Reparations Task Force / Professor, Loyola Marymount University Reparations is on fire both domestically and globally and Nkechi Taifa's countless contributions have been fundamental to its rise! Professor Justin Hansford, Executive Director, Howard University Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center/ Representative, UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent

About the author: 

Nkechi Taifa

Preferred pronunciation:

(Neh-KEE-Chee Tah-EE-Fah)

Nkechi Taifa is a civil and human rights attorney, scholar-activist, talk show host, and author. She is president of The Taifa Group LLC and serves as Senior Fellow for the Center of Justice at Columbia University and as a Harvard Kennedy School scholar. A visionary  thought leader and nationally recognized expert and commentator on race and justice  issues, Taifa also served as Commissioner and Chair of the D.C. Commission on Human  Rights. She has worked for the Open Society Foundations, Howard University School of  Law, the ACLU, Women’s Legal Defense Fund, National Prison Project, and as an attorney  in private practice. She has testified before the United States Congress, the DC City  Council, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the U.S Helsinki Commission,  the California Reparations Task Force, and the Maryland Legislature.

Nkechi is Director of the Reparation Education Fund, Inc., is an inaugural Commissioner  on the National African American Reparations Commission, and a founder of the National  Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America. A native Washingtonian, Nkechi is the  author of the best-seller memoir, Black Power, Black Lawyer: My Audacious Quest for  Justice, and the author of several books for children. Her most recent book, Reparations  on Fire: How and Why it’s Spreading Across America, has been described as “part  historical analysis, part revolutionary manifesto, and part political red-alert.”

In addition to her five published books, Nkechi Taifa is the author of scores of scholarly  works, including law review articles, book chapters and white papers. She has been  featured in major print and electronic media and has received numerous honors and  awards for her work, including Essence Magazine’s WOKE 100 Black Women Advocating  for Change.