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. [more]