Mullen and Darity then bring us to the late 20th century push for reparations, such as the H.R 40 bill, introduced in Congress in 1989 to establish the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans.

In 1915, MRBP filed a lawsuit on behalf of ex-slaves asserting that the U.S Treasury Department owed the freedmen $68 million for labor during the Civil War. Their book introduces little known historical organizations like The National Ex-Slave Mutual Relief, Bounty, and Pension Association (MRBP). It also outlines a program for Black reparations. In about 400 pages, “From Here To Equality” reviews the political history of the Black reparations movement, the effects of slavery on the nation’s development and the ongoing failure of the country to take action to bridge racial economic inequality. Darity is an economist who has been at the forefront of the movement to highlight and address the racial wealth divide, and Mullen is a folklorist whose work focuses on race, art, history and politics. and Kirsten Mullen on their recently released book, From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the Twenty-First Century. In this context, the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) hosted a conversation with William Darity Jr. 2020 has been a year for the history books - intense political debate, a global health crisis leading to global economic turmoil and racial inequality taking center stage with highly visible murders of African Americans by different police departments across the country.

William darity from here to equality