Profs and Pints DC presents: “Reconsidering Reparations,” on a future-oriented approach to remedying past injustice, with Olúfemi O. Táíwò, assistant professor of political philosophy and ethics at Georgetown University and author of the soon-to-be-released book Reconsidering Reparations.
[Under current District of Columbia regulations attendees will be required to wear a mask except while eating or drinking. The Bier Baron will be requiring proof of Covid-19 vaccination for entry. It also will be requiring ticketed event attendees to purchase a minimum of two items, which can be food or beverages, including soft drinks.]
Most theorizing about reparations for slavery and colonialism treats it as a social justice project. The focus is on making amends in the present—characterizing reparations as reconciliatory justice—or on remedying historical wrongs by making restitution for past harms. Come learn about a third approach rooted in a hopeful view of the future from Dr. Olúfemi O. Táíwò, a Georgetown philosopher who earned a following among Profs and Pints audiences for his thought-provoking talks on race, class, and environmental concerns.
Dr. Táíwò will start by giving us a thorough grounding in the debates over the reconciliation- and restitution-based approaches to reparations. Then he’ll offer us a new case for reparations that he calls the “constructive” view because it is future-oriented and engaged in building a better social order.
Professor Táíwò’s approach, outlined in depth in his upcoming book, has distributive justice at its core, arguing that those who have inherited the moral liabilities for past injustices should bear a larger share of the costs of building a more equitable world. It tackles the most pressing issue of our day, climate change, head-on, by linking tried-and-true aspects of reparations justice, like cash payouts to descendants of slavery, with unexpected objectives such as divestment from fossil fuels and investment in community control over food, energy, and housing systems.
In contrast to many Profs and Pints talks that focus on the central ideas of the past, this talk by Dr. Táíwò will pull his audience up to the front lines of a current debate and offer them a new framework for understanding and evaluating proposals to deal with the crises of our day. (Advance tickets: $12. Doors: $15, or $13 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. Talk starts 30 minutes later. Please allow yourself time to place any orders and get seated and settled in.)
(Image: Participants in a 2020 Juneteenth rally in St. Paul, Minn. Photo by Fibonacci Blue / Wikimedia Commons.)