Watch Now: Can Reparations Redress the Harms of Colonization and Slavery?

Perry World House’s new “Critical Conversations” program fosters critical thinking and civil discourse on crucial issues.

This inaugural Critical Conversation will explore whether reparations are the most effective way to redress lasting harms caused by centuries of colonization and slavery.

On the one hand, many Western nations reaped huge financial and other benefits from these practices, exacting an enduring human cost that reparations could seek to repair. On the other, those who would bear the responsibilities of paying these reparations were not directly involved in slavery or colonization.

So, are reparations a fair policy solution? Where do you stand? How would hearing from both sides of this issue shape your opinion? In Perry World House’s first ever Critical Conversation, we explored these important questions, with input from our audience. At the start of the program, we asked attendees to anonymously share whether they are for or against reparations. At the end, we repeated this poll, and see how opinions evolved over the course of the discussion.

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