In Randall Robinson’s view, racial problems can’t be solved until America is willing to face up to the devastating effects of slavery and educate all Americans, black and white, about the history of Africa and its people.

In his recent book, the highly successful Defending the Spirit: A Black Life in America, Robinson makes a stirring call to form the next legion of African-American leadership. Now, in The Debt, he argues that reclaiming the lost history of Africa and African-Americans will help provide a much-needed springboard for solving many of today’s problems-from finding new leadership within the black community to developing meaningful educational programs to helping black people empower themselves economically. Robinson also argues that the United States must be prepared to make restitution to African-Americans for 246 years of slavery, and the century of de jure racial discrimination that followed, via major educational programs and economic development. Robinson offers a solution-oriented approach to controversial issues of social justice in a style that is both personal and informative.

“Randall Robinson’s powerful and poignant story of personal and political struggle is one of vision, courage, and sacrifice.”-Cornell West, Harvard University professor and author of Race Matters (on Defending the Spirit)Randall Robinson, the founder and president of TransAfrica (a lobbying organization dedicated to influencing U.S. policy toward Africa and the Caribbean), recounted his heroic struggle to fight and overcome racism in the magnificent Defending the Spirit. In his triumphant follow-up, The Debt, he goes further than any previous black public figure in calling for reparations to African-Americans for the present-day racism that stems from 246 years of slavery. Citing compensation that Jews and Japanese Americans have received, he writes, “No race, ethnic or religious group has suffered as much over so long a span as blacks have and do still, at the hands of those who benefited … from slavery and the century of legalized American racial hostility that followed it.” In making his case, Robinson utilizes facts and figures that highlight the disparity between African-Americans and whites. While fully recognizing the monumental odds of this movement’s success, Robinson feels that the push for reparations will also greatly benefit African-Americans in nonmaterial ways: “Even the making of a well-reasoned case for restitution will do wonders for the spirit of African-Americans,” he argues. “It will cause them to at long last understand the genesis of their history–before, during, and after slavery–into one story of themselves.” –Eugene Holley Jr.

Product Features

• Used Book in Good Condition

The national bestseller by the author of Defending the Spirit.

In this powerful and controversial book, distinguished African-American political leader and thinker Randall Robinson argues for the restoration of the rich history that slavery and segregation severed. Drawing from research and personal experience, he shows that only by reclaiming their lost past and proud heritage can blacks lay the foundation for their future. And white Americans can make reparations for slavery and the century of racial discrimination that followed with monetary restitution, educational programs, and the kinds of equal opportunities that will ensure the social and economic success of all its citizens.

In a book that is both an unflinching indictment of past wrongs and an impassioned call to our nation to educate all Americans about the history of Africa and its people, Robinson makes a persuasive case for the debt white America owes blacks, and the debt blacks owe themselves.

Randall Robinson, the founder and president of TransAfrica (a lobbying organization dedicated to influencing U.S. policy toward Africa and the Caribbean), recounted his heroic struggle to fight and overcome racism in the magnificent Defending the Spirit. In his triumphant follow-up, The Debt, he goes further than any previous black public figure in calling for reparations to African-Americans for the present-day racism that stems from 246 years of slavery. Citing compensation that Jews and Japanese Americans have received, he writes, “No race, ethnic or religious group has suffered as much over so long a span as blacks have and do still, at the hands of those who benefited … from slavery and the century of legalized American racial hostility that followed it.” In making his case, Robinson utilizes facts and figures that highlight the disparity between African-Americans and whites. While fully recognizing the monumental odds of this movement’s success, Robinson feels that the push for reparations will also greatly benefit African-Americans in nonmaterial ways: “Even the making of a well-reasoned case for restitution will do wonders for the spirit of African-Americans,” he argues. “It will cause them to at long last understand the genesis of their history–before, during, and after slavery–into one story of themselves.” –Eugene Holley Jr.