Government

Fact-Finding is the First Step in Reparations Discussion

Published

7 years ago

July 5, 2019

Lee Bazile

Leo Bazile

The revived debate on the Reparations issue reminds us all that the struggle for social, political and economic justice for African Americans continues as discussion on HR- 40, the proposed legislation, came to the U.S. Congress.

At the congressional hearing that was held on Juneteenth Day, the testimonies around economic and restorative justice centered on the 250 years of unpaid labor and its dividends to the American economy.

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee reintroduced HR-40 which was originally introduced 30 years ago by then-Congressman John Conyers. The HR-40 legislation calls for the establishment of a commission to study and develop reparation proposals for African Americans.

The commission will gather the facts and report the findings.

No conclusions are to be made until a public hearing process on those facts has been held.

Those public conclusions should expose the structural and institutional changes and reforms required to eradicate all damages and barriers that are the legacy of chattel slavery.

The focus of the Reparations Movement has shifted to economic justice. In her testimony in Congress on Juneteenth Day, renowned economist Dr. Julienne Malveau refers to “Post Enslavement Racially Hostile Public Policy” and government complicity in white supremacy as a legacy of slavery. Race-based disparities in America must be identified and repaired by eliminating existing structural and institutional barriers.

Journalist and author Ta- Nehisi Coates testified about his findings in researching his book “The Case for Reparations: “Governmental discrimination is baked into our governmental institutions as well as the persistently segregated private social ordering that those institutions brought about.”

Malveau further testified that “Local, State and Federal governments were active perpetrators of race- targeted discrimination against and in domination of African Americans during slavery, Jim Crow and beyond.” According to Dr. Malveau, the federal government and some states excluded African Americans from such wealth creation giveaways as 160-acre land grants that effectively restricted Black peoples’ ability to participate in the national growth economy.

Federal Housing Administration’s (FHA) race-based policy, especially redlining, restricted the ability to accumulate wealth that is traditionally passed to subsequent generations in a family. Discrimination in these wealth-creating devices are only the tip of the iceberg. The HR-40 study is needed to uncover the underlying scope and size of the hidden damages and continuing discrimination and barriers.

The opposition to the study Commission completely ignored the fact that the study calls for no conclusion as to remedies to the uncovered iceberg. Agreement as to the facts presented will proceed to a public hearing process on what conclusions can be reasonably drawn from the established facts. Uninformed Americans are likened to passengers on the Titanic sailing toward the unseen iceberg while the MAGA Band plays on at the Grand Old Party.

The future of the nation as a self-governing experiment in democracy is facing racial division and disparities that will sear the soul of the nation. ‘Citizen’ is the highest office in the nation and now is the time for public mobilization to make our voices heard. HR-40 is now in the House Judiciary subcommittee on Civil Rights and Liberties chaired by Rep. Steve Cohen, (D-Tenn.), specifically the city where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. The ranking member is Rep. Mike Johnson, (R- La.), the home of Grambling University. Both congressmen’s offices in Wash., D.C., should be flooded with your communications and concerns. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) is the author of HR-40 taking over from John Conyers who authored it 30 years ago. Send correspondence to her D.C. office as well.

Lee Bazile

Posts by Lee Bazile

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

Published

1 week ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

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Oakland Post

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Activism

Oakland Post: Week of February 18 – 24, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 18 – 24, 2026

Published

3 weeks ago

February 20, 2026

Oakland Post

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Bay Area

CITY OF SAN LEANDRO STATE OF CALIFORNIA PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT ENGINEERING DIVISION NOTICE TO BIDDERS FOR ANNUAL STREET OVERLAY/REHABILITATION 2019-21 – PHASE III

WORK DESCRIPTION: The work to be done consists of roadway paving, base cement stabilization, concrete curb ramps, driveways, sidewalks, curbs and gutters, traffic detection loops and pavement striping, and doing all appurtenant work in place and ready for use, all as shown on the plans and described in the specifications with the title indicated in Paragraph 1 above, and on file in the office of the City Engineer. Reference to said plans and specifications is hereby made for further particulars.

Published

3 weeks ago

February 20, 2026

Oakland Post

PROJECT NO. 2020.0050

BID NO. 25-26.011

BID OPENING: The bidder shall complete the “Proposal to the City of San Leandro” form contained in the Contract Book. The proposal shall be submitted in its entirety. Incomplete proposals will be considered non-responsive. Sealed bids containing the completed Proposal Section subject to the conditions named herein and in the specifications for ANNUAL STREET OVERLAY/REHABILITATION 2019-21 – PHASE III/PROJECT NO. 2020.0050 addressed to the City of San Leandro will be received at City Hall, 835 East 14^th Street, 2^nd Floor San Leandro at the office of the City Clerk up to 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 19, 2026, at which time they will be publicly opened and read.
WORK DESCRIPTION: The work to be done consists of roadway paving, base cement stabilization, concrete curb ramps, driveways, sidewalks, curbs and gutters, traffic detection loops and pavement striping, and doing all appurtenant work in place and ready for use, all as shown on the plans and described in the specifications with the title indicated in Paragraph 1 above, and on file in the office of the City Engineer. Reference to said plans and specifications is hereby made for further particulars.
OBTAINING THE PROJECT PLANS AND CONTRACT BOOK: The project plans and Contract Book may be obtained free of charge from the City’s website at:https://www.sanleandro.org/Bids.aspx Bidders who download the plans are encouraged to contact the City of San Leandro Public Works Department Engineering division at 510-577-3428 to be placed on the project planholder’s list to receive courtesy notifications of addenda and other project information. Project addenda, if any, will be posted on the website. A bidder who fails to address all project addenda in its proposal may be deemed non-responsive.Bidders may also purchase the Project Plans and Contract Book from East Bay Blueprint & Supply Co., at 1745 14^th Street, Oakland, CA 94606; Phone Number: (510) 261-2990 or email: ebbp@eastbayblueprint.com.
PRE-BID CONFERENCE: A mandatory pre-bid conference will be held on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, at 2:00 PM and on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, at 10:00 AM as follows:
Tuesday, February 24, 2026, at 2:00 PM
Zoom Meeting ID: 883 8752 6074
Passcode: 502955
Zoom Link: https://sanleandro-org.zoom.us/j/88387526074?pwd=hZ5rjB8AWdLAUem3CtByFiZxqKarHj.1
And
Wednesday, February 25, 2026, at 10:00 AM
Zoom Meeting ID: 898 2672 0472
Passcode: 091848
Zoom Link: https://sanleandro-org.zoom.us/j/89826720472?pwd=JgZX2nXMpLSRM5xDPr7EJUxl7QIznr.1The information presented at the conferences will be identical, all bidders must attend one of the pre-bid conference and sign the attendance sheet. A firm that didn’t attend the pre-bid conference isn’t qualified to bid on the project.Questions regarding the plans and specifications may be submitted in writing to the project engineer until 5:00 p.m. five (5) days before, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays, bids must be received by the City. The City will not respond to oral questions outside of the pre-bid conference. The response, if any, will be by written addendum only. Oral responses do not constitute a revision to these plans or specifications.
VALUE OF WORK: The Engineer has estimated that the value of work is between $1,000,000 and $5,000,000.
SAN LEANDRO BUSINESS PREFERENCE AND PARTICIPATION GOALS: The work performed under this contract is subject to Section 1-6-225 of the San Leandro Municipal Code regarding local business preference and participation. A list of companies that hold a San Leandro business license is located on the City webpage under the finance department, here: https://www.sanleandro.org/340/Business-License
SAN LEANDRO COMMUNITY WORKFORCE AGREEMENT: The work performed under this contract is subject to the Community Workforce Agreement adopted by City Council Resolution 2015-104. Contractors attention is directed to Section 10.