- Originally published by U.S. Newswire February 9, 2005 Wednesday
Copyright 2005 U.S. Newswire, a division of Medialink Worldwide Incorporated
Outraged
over what they call an "insulting slavery reparations offer" from JP
Morgan Chase/Bank One, Louisiana activists are taking their demand for
justice to the company's New Orleans Branch located at 1425 N. Broad
Street, New Orleans, Louisiana, in a press conference/protest on
Thursday, February 10 at 10:30 am (Central).
Last
month, JPMorgan Chase/Bank One disclosed that two of its predecessor
banks in Louisiana allowed 13,000 enslaved Africans to be used as
collateral on loans and took ownership of 1,250 enslaved Africans when
the loans defaulted. The bank issued a public apology and said it would
create a $5 million college scholarship fund for African Americans
in Louisiana. "This ridiculous amount of money does not come anywhere
near what that company owes us for the devastation they caused our
ancestors and their descendants," said Antoinette Harrell-Miller, a
noted Louisiana genealogist, New Orleans television personality, and
organizer of the press conference. "They must pay us more," she said.
Louisiana
reparations activists say they were never consulted on the decision to
create the scholarship fund, and are concerned about where the funds
will actually go. "This paternalistic approach to paying reparations is
reminiscent of how Blacks were treated during slavery," says New
Orleans attorney Pius Obioha, co-lead counsel in a federal class action
case for slavery reparations pending against Bank One and 17 other
corporations. Obioha and his co-lead counsel, Harry Cantrell will
attend the press conference.
"As a White Southerner with a commitment to social justice, I believe it is important to take directions from African Americans
on issues that affect them and their community," says Jason Meville,
former Chair of the Louisiana Green Party and grandson of former
Louisiana Governor, David C. Treen. Treen was the first Republican
Governor elected in Louisiana since Reconstruction. The Green Party was
the only party during the last presidential election that put
reparations on its party platform. Meville and other representatives
from the Green Party will attend the press conference.
Other
activists scheduled to attend include Chuck Barber, a performance
artist who will reenact the experience of being enslaved, shackled, and
sold by Bank One; Carl Gammon, a civil rights activist who marched with
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; Pastor Adam Gordon of All Nations Church
of God In Christ; local civil rights groups; and African drummers.