On Monday evening, February 21, the December 12th Movement, the Black Men's Movement Against Crack and the Committee to Honor Black Heroes held a spirited commemoration to the lives of Malcolm X, El Hajj Malik Shabazz, and Sonny Abubadika Carson.

The program showed the continuation of the line of struggle from Malcolm, the father of the Black Liberation Movement, to Sonny, the son of the Movement. Sonny inspired the formation of the Black Men's Movement Against Crack and was part of the founding leadership of the December 12th Movement. Speakers highlighted the importance of the reparations as key to the struggle of African people in the 21st century. Speakers included Elombe Brath, City Councilman Charles Barron, Santina Brown, Sam Pinn, Dr. Mary Umolo and Coltrane Chimurenga. Young Nyema Mitchell did an original poetry tribute. Lee Guest and Chaka Jones were the able M.C.s

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Those who missed this exciting and informative program will have the opportunity to participate in the continuation on Friday, February 25, 2005 at the 19th Anniversary of the Black Men's Movement Against Crack at Sistas' Place, 456 Nostrand Avenue at 7 pm. Calll (718) 398-1766 for information.

TESTIMONY OF ROGER S. WAREHAM, AT THE CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENTAL OPERATIONS CONCERNING COUNCILMAN BARRON'S RESOLUTION ON REPARATIONS

JUNE 19, 2002

First, I would like to thank Councilman Perkins for the opportunity to testify at this historic hearing.

On this occasion there may still be some who ask why the New York City Council is considering a resolution addressing the issue of reparations. The answer lies partially in New York City's long-suppressed history of slavery and racism. But the answer is also tied to the issue of globalization. Globalization has provided great benefits for US and multi-national corporations and great misery and exploitation for the vast majority of the world. Globalization is a new word for an old concept. Globalization in its infancy kidnaped millions of Africans to bring us to the so-called Western Hemisphere to be enslaved.

This Juneteenth we, the victims of globalization, are making it work for us. My law firm, Thomas, Wareham & Richards, is part of a legal team which brought the first case suing private corporations for reparations for the blood money they made during the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and Slavery. This week, the same legal team filed suit against three of the multi-national corporations which profiteered during the Apartheid era in South Africa. What these cases have in common are Multi-national corporate defendants; African Continental and Diasporic Plaintiffs. This is a new form of globalization -- where the victims strike back. Globalization has indeed shrunk the world -- the perpetrators of crimes against humanity have lost their impunity and have nowhere to hide.

Reparations for African people is a global issue. The US government's walkout from the United Nations World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance in Durban, South Africa last year had everything to do with its refusal to address the issue of reparations for its citizenry of African descent. The US and all the former colonizing and settler- colony countries whose present status as "developed" countries is directly tied to the stolen wealth created by slavery and colonialism formed a united front to oppose the declaration by the World Conference of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and Slavery as a crime against humanity. Their opposition was unsuccessful. The victory at the World Conference against Racism was a victory for African people. It could not have occurred without a tremendous organizing effort on the ground. My organization, the December 12th Movement, along with the National Black United Front and other organizations around the country took over a more than 300 member delegation, called the Durban 400, to lobby for three key issues: the Declaration of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, Slavery and Colonialism as Crimes against Humanity; Reparations for African people on the Continent and in the Diaspora; recognition of the economic basis of racism. It was the work of the Durban 400 and the African and African Descendant NGO (non-governmental organization) Caucus which provided the necessary support to the African Group of countries who were the sponsors of the Declaration. During the two year preparation process leading up to Durban, the African Group had been threatened and coerced by the Western countries to force it to withdraw its support for these three issues. We knew that the passage of the Declaration would not happen simply because it was historically true and morally right. Success would depend on the mobilization of forces. Thus the need for the Durban 400.

Before leaving Durban, the Durban 400 leadership called for a national demonstration in the United States to continue the momentum which was growing around the reparations movement.T he date we decided on was August 17th for a National Rally to Demand Reparations, in Washington, D.C. Once again, we proceeded from the view that it is the masses who make history. That when Frederick Douglass said, "Power concedes nothing without a demand," that it would be the demand of the masses of our people in Washington, D.C. which would push the reparations movement to a higher stage.

The goal of the August 17th rally is to be broad-based and mass. You need not belong to any particular organization, nor subscribe to any one view about the form of reparations. The only requirement for participation is that you support reparations for African people. Our presence there in the hundreds of thousands will embody Frederick Douglass' Demand.

My response to those who say that all we need do is await the resolution of the legal cases is this. While I have complete confidence in the viability of our legal claims against these corporations and the skill of our legal team, I understand that, as in Durban, truth and morality are not enough to attain justice. Legal decisions in this country have always been driven by social, political and economic factors. The success of any of the current or future reparations lawsuits will be tied to an assessment by the defendants of the mass support for that demand.

Thus I encourage all who support Councilman Barron's resolution in particular, and all who support reparations in general, to be in Washington, D.C. on August 17th. I also propose that the City Council support this process by issuing a proclamation recognizing August 17th as National Reparations Day.

Thank you.

REPARATIONS AWARENESS DAY

"The Council of the City of New York proclaims March 21, 2002 to be "Reparations Awareness Day" in the City of New York and recognizes the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade and Slavery as crimes against humanity.." read the official City Council Proclamation signed by Councilmen Charles Barron, Al Vann, Leroy Comrie and William Perkins. This March 21st, which is recognized by the United Nations as the International Day Against Racism, in memory of the those Africans killed in the 1966 South African Sharpsville's Massacre, will be used going forward as a date to also recognize the remedy to international racism against African people - Reparations. Councilman Barron handed the Proclamation to Viola Plummer, National Chairperson of the upcoming August 17th, Washington, DC Millions for Reparations Rally at the Thursday evening Reparations Awareness Day mass rally.

The rally united NYC Black leaders from across the political spectrum. In attendance at the House of the Lord Church in Brooklyn, were NYS Assemblyman Roger Green, NYC Councilmen Charles Barron and Bill Perkins, human rights activist Viola Plummer of the December 12th Movement, Elombe Brath of the Patrice Lumumba Coalition, Rosemary Mealy, Sam Anderson of the Black Radical Congress, Minister Kevin Muhammed of the Nation of Islam, Job Marshariki of Black Veterans for Social Justice, Jim Haughton of Harlem Fight Back, Judicial Candidate Gerri Pickett of the National Black United Front, Rev. Herbert Daughtry and Ron Washington of the New Jersey Black Telephone Workers Union, among others. All the speakers vowed to collectively work on mobilization for the Millions for Reparations Rally and intensifying the fight for reparations due to Africans in America.

Viola Plummer, the National Chairperson of the Millions for Reparations Rally, opened with a historical outline of the work the December 12th Movement has been doing in the international arena culminating with the UN World Conference against Racism (WCAR) of 2001. For the past fifteen years the December 12th Movement has been continuing the work of Malcolm X in the United Nations focusing on the issues of racism and human rights violations perpetrated against Africans on the continent as well as the Diaspora. Although the UN's bureaucratic culture has presented arduous obstacles, their work has produced several victories such as the establishment of a Special Rapporteur on Racism, Maurice Gele, and subsequent investigations into institutionalized racism in the United States in 1995, as well as being a principle proponent and organizer for the United Nations World Conference Against Racism.

Plummer stated that the UN World Conference against Racism held in Durban South Africa in September 2001, had produced a true Pan African mandate on the issue of Reparations. She said "African leaders around the world maintained a steeled unity in the face of rabid western opposition, including the walk out of the US delegation, on the question of the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade and colonialism as Crimes against Humanity and Reparations". She reported that the August 17th Millions for Reparations Rally was initiated by the Durban 400, a coalition of US based organizations attending the WCAR.

State Assemblyman Roger Green reported on his Assembly Bill 9286 which focuses on the debt owed by corporations, local governments, and estates for the loss of African peoples' benefits and wages, loss and theft of property, and emotional damage. Green cited NY Slave Codes and the Gradual Manumissions act of 1867 (two years after the emancipation proclamation) which implemented a government program to oversee the placement of formerly enslaved children who had been abandoned by slave owners. These children were placed on plantations for a minimum of 25 years for females and 28 years for males.

Senator Green highlighted the history of the NY Stock Exchange, which was founded on the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade and brokerage houses such as the Harriman Brothers, Lehman Brothers, and Brown Brothers who made their fortunes in these markets. Green said his African Reparations bill has a good chance of passing based on a previous bill passed by the senate and assembly on Jewish reparations. The Jewish reparations bill was vetoed by Gov. Pataki due to international treaty violations. Green's bill would not interfere with any such treaties.

City Councilman Charles Barron cheerfully told crowd of over 400 that his City Council Queen Mother Moore Reparations Bill is now being addressed in the committee headed by Councilman Perkins who was seated on the front pew at what could be called the reparations unity rally. Minister Kevin Muhammed of the Nation of Islam stated that the nation was 100% in support of the organization, aims and purpose of the Millions for Reparations Rally. Muhammed said "All of us are owed reparations. NY will be the strongest contingent in Washington on August 17th."

Reverend Herbert Daughtry proclaimed at the close of the rally, "I feel it is a great moment in history. The time is right - we will win our reparations!"

Millions for Reparations New York City Organizing Committee
456 Nostrand Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11216
Phone (718) 398-1766
info@MillionsForReparations.com