Reparations for Descendants
The below reparations demands were born out of interviews with some Brownsville descendants in 2018 and a series of monthly community meetings hosted by The Brownsville Project in 2019. These community meetings provided a caucus space for descendants to process and speak about what structural, restorative repair would be meaningful for them.
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A statue of Tamer Brown to be as prominently displayed, equal or greater in stature, and at least as well endowed as the Bobcat statue. We were proud to bring this demand to fruition in DATE….
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The Brownsville Project has been working with a historian to conduct ongoing research into the history and displacement of Brownsville. Future research will include investigations into the namesake of all university buildings and replace the names of those who played a role in the dismantling of the Brownsville/Park Ave Community; or those who benefitted from the system of slavery, with names of prominent members of the Brownsville/Park Ave Community.
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Appoint an evergreen intersectional committee of descendants, faculty, alum, and students to hold the university accountable to further researching the history of Brownsville/Park Ave Community; and embedding that history in the university narrative and curriculum. Committee appointees will be independently nominated and approved by The Brownsville Project and the FSU Center for Student Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. This committee will hold the university accountable to the reparations listed below.
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Procure an independent forensic historian (and team), to be nominated and approved by the intersectional committee of descendants, faculty, alum, and students as well as The Center for Student Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. This forensic historian led team must have widely credible experience and expertise in researching the economic impact of systemic anti-black racism in America and will use that expertise to research the sale of Brownsville/Park Ave Community properties for the following outcomes:
Determine if Black-owned properties were sold to the state of Maryland at fair market value
Determine the current property value of all land sold to the state of Maryland for the expansion of the university.
Determine the equitable distribution of cash reparation to Brownsville/Park Ave Community descendants based on findings in items above.
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Work with university students to produce a documentary and children’s book to further cement the history of Brownsville/Park Ave Community in the national narrative of African American history.
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Free tuition, in perpetuity, to all descendants of Brownsville who wish to attend FSU. If any descendant has already paid tuition, they will be fully reimbursed.
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Descendents wish to host a Brownsville/Park Ave Community reunion. We would like the right to host this on the campus where the first lots of Brownsville once stood, at no cost for the campus space.
The following recommendations are independent of the descendent-led discussions and based on the overarching feedback from the community meetings, which included both descendants and non-descendants.
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Increase the budget of The Center for Student Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to fully carry out its agenda.
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As the university transitions from a predominantly white institution to a larger BIPOC student population, it must seek the guidance and membership of academic spaces dedicated to racial healing, recommended by The Center for Student Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
