PAY THE TAB: Reparations Now
Tony Tolbert & Adam Radinsky
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About This Podcast
America has never faced up to the atrocities its massive wealth was built on — or the racism that still plagues us today. It’s high time for reparations to Black Americans. In each episode, Harvard lawyers (and longtime friends) Tony and Adam expose a story of racial injustice — then explore creative ways to make it right. The show features special guests who are on the front lines fighting for justice. We're making the case for full national reparations, one story at a time.
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Recent Episodes
#26 - The MOVE Bombing: The Ultimate Police Brutality
In one of the most heinous acts of police violence against Black Americans, Philadelphia cops killed 11 people (including 5 kids) and left hundreds more homeless. But the case is mostly forgotten…
#25 - Harvard The Enslaver: Don’t Hide The Truth, Tell It
Harvard University used enslaved labor on its sugar plantations and reaped profits from the slave trade. Richard Cellini, the researcher it hired to identify its enslaved and their descendants, joins…
#24 - MLK Part 2: Reviving His Dream of Radical Reparations
Dr. King died for his commitment to radically transforming our country. With today’s brazen piracy by the billionaires and Black America under permanent siege, King’s goals have never been more…
#23 - MLK Part 1: Who Really Killed Dr. King - And Why?
One of the most traumatic events for Black America in the last century was the murder of Martin Luther King. But who did it? We spotlight a little-known 1999 court case that blew away the bogus cover…
#22 - Tulsa Revisited: The Fight Continues At Reparations Ground Zero
Meet Damario Solomon-Simmons, the leading reparations lawyer in the country. He led the Tulsa Race Massacre court battle that put reparations on the national radar. Damario gives advice and…
#21 - Our Project 2025: Double Down on Truth-Telling
What used to be called “science fiction” is now our daily reality. The fringe right is in power, bombarding us with the openly fascist Project 2025. A key tactic is snuffing out all talk about our…
#20 - Slavery in the U.S. Today: Is This 2025 or 1825?
News flash: Slavery didn’t end after the Civil War. Thanks to the massive loophole of the 13th Amendment, it’s still going strong - in the form of forced prison labor all across America. We take you…
#19 - The Bucks Start Here: William Darity Jr. and Kirsten Mullen
Money isn’t the only part of reparations - but it sure is a big one! We sit down with William Darity and Kirsten Mullen, the nation's leading reparations experts. They answer key questions: How big…
#18 - The Negro Leagues: It’s Past Time for America’s Pastime to Make Reparations
Some of the greatest players ever were kept out of Major League Baseball for nearly 70 years - due to the collusion of the racist team owners. We visit with Bill Greason, 100, the oldest surviving…
#17 - The “Black Tax”: A Grand Theft of Historic Proportions
A dirty secret in U.S. history is how local property taxes have been used to steal massive amounts of land and money from Black people, for the last 160 years. The Black Tax, a new book by historian…
#16 - Special Update: The Reparations Movement, Our Growing Project, and Things We All Can Do
This is an exciting time in the fight for Black reparations! As momentum builds across the country, Pay The Tab is expanding in new directions - including the first-ever reparations course at UCLA…
#15 - Henrietta Wood: An American Hero You Never Heard Of
The largest-ever court award for slavery reparations came from an unlikely plaintiff. Henrietta Wood was an enslaved woman who gained her freedom in the 1840s - only to be kidnapped and sold back…
#14 - Live With Rep. Justin J. Pearson: Speaking Truth To Power
Rep. Justin J. Pearson blows away our live audience with his bold case for reparations - and for making change through multiracial solidarity. He speaks on the racist connections of gun violence and…
#13 - Rest As Reparations: Closing The Racial Sleep Gap
Did you know Black Americans get about one hour less sleep each night than white people? Less sleep means serious health problems - and shorter life spans. We dive into this shocking “racial sleep…
#12 - Japanese American Reparations: Lessons For Black America
In the largest single act of mass incarceration in U.S. history, our government forced over 125,000 Japanese Americans into prison camps for three years during World War II. On this special live…
#11 - Mass Incarceration and Reparations: It’s Time For A New Way
Mass incarceration is a cancer that’s devouring Black communities. Writer and filmmaker Asia Johnson joins us and shares her experiences as a formerly incarcerated woman - and her visions for a new…
#10 - The Racial Wealth Gap: It's Our Turn Now
Why has it always been damn near impossible for Black Americans to make ends meet - let alone build wealth? Join us with Mehrsa Baradaran, law professor and a leading expert on the racial wealth gap.…
#9 - Giving It All Back: White People's Worst Nightmare
Morgan Curtis discovered that her family’s wealth (and her large inheritance) were made from centuries of exploitation and suffering, including slavery. What she did in response is an amazing story…
#8 - Robin Kelley Live: Reparations and Imagining the Black Future
Show notes: The incredible Robin D. G. Kelley schools us on what true reparations could look like - and how to use our collective power to envision a better future. Recorded in Los Angeles with a…
#7 - Mothers of Gynecology: Art As Reparations
Dr. J. Marion Sims is hailed as the Father of Modern Gynecology. But his reputation was built through inhumane experiments on enslaved young women. We talk with “creative extremist” Michelle Browder,…
Frequently Asked Questions
PAY THE TAB: Reparations Now has published 27 episodes since April 2022, covering topics in Documentary, History.
PAY THE TAB: Reparations Now is currently highly active with new episodes every 2 months. Average episode length is 48m.
