Purdue News

October 27, 2000 Black Cultural Center sponsors reparations discussion WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue Black Cultural Center Library will present "African Americans and the Case for Reparations: Positioning the Debate" at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11, in the Black Cultural Center. The event is free and open to the public. The BCC will screen two videos: "Black Reparations" and "A Case for Black Reparations." Following the screenings, Richard F. America, business and economics scholar, will moderate an audience discussion about reparations. "Black Reparations" features an interview with Randall Robinson, director of TransAfrica and author of "The Debt: What America Owes to Blacks." "A Case for Black Reparations" features legislators, scholars and activists including John Conyers, Randall Robinson, Dorothy Height, Charles Ogeltree and Ali Mazuri. Both videos were originally aired on C-Span. America is an independent consultant, researcher, writer and lecturer. He is currently an adjunct lecturer at the School of Business Administration at Georgetown University. He also has taught at the University of California at Berkeley's School of Business and at Stanford Business School. He has worked as a Development Economist at Stanford Research Institute and is the author of articles and six books relating to economics and the African-American community. America's works "Paying the Social Debt: What White America Owes Black America" (1993) and "Wealth of Races: The Present Value of Benefits from Past Injustices" (1990) directly addresses reparations for African-Americans, an issue currently under debate across the United States. "As the momentum for reparations for African-Americans continues to build throughout America, the Black Cultural Center Library invites the campus and community to become familiar with the issues by joining us for this insightful event," said Dorothy Ann Washington, BCC librarian. Established at Purdue in 1969, the BCC is nationally recognized and acknowledged by the Association of Black Culture Centers as one of the foremost centers of its kind. The center, according to BCC director Renee Thomas, helps black students gain a greater understanding of their heritage and supports and enhances cultural diversity on campus and in the community. Thomas said the BCC serves as a catalyst for a host of cultural, educational, artistic, social and technological initiatives and provides an environment that fosters cross-cultural exchanges and noteworthy research. The center also promotes artistic expression through music, dance, drama and creative writing. CONTACT: Dorothy Ann Washington, BCC librarian, (765) 494- 3093, dwashin2@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page