Repair: Redeeming the Promise of Abolition

by Katherine Franke

Praise for Katherine Franke’s The Perils of Marriage Equality : “A persuasive and provocative addition to scholarship on the history and the influence of marriage.” ― Women’s Review of Books “Rigorous, historical.” ― Los Angeles Review of Books Katherine Franke makes a powerful case for reparations for Black Americans by amplifying the stories of former slaves and calling for repairing the damage caused by America’s legacy of slavery. Building on the case started by Ta’Nehisi Coates, Repair invites readers to explore the historical context for reparations, offering a detailed account of the circumstances that surrounded the emancipation of enslaved African Americans in two unique contexts, the Sea Islands of South Carolina and Davis Bend, Jefferson Davis’s former plantation outside Vicksburg, Mississippi. Through these two critical historical examples, Franke unpacks the systemic racism and white privilege at the heart of American society and argues that reparations for slavery are both urgent and possible. Katherine Franke , professor at Columbia Law School, is one of the nation’s leading scholars writing on law, racial justice, African American history, and sexuality. She is a board member of Jewish Voice for Peace and chair of the Center for Constitutional Rights. Her first book was The Perils of Marriage Equality .

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Race, Social Justice, Politics, Justice, Research

210 pages, Hardcover

Published May 21, 2019

About the author

Katherine Franke is the Sulzbacher Professor of Law and the Director of the Center for Gender and Sexuality Law at Columbia University. In addition to her academic work, she is the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Center for Constitutional Rights.

Reviews

[Jason Scoggins · Rating 4 out of 5]

"So too, white people have never really undertaken the exercise of identifying with what it meant to be enslaved, or to have had your ancestors enslaved. Instead, we have asked Black people to identify with us, often in the name of equality and justice: “you deserve the opportunities we have,” “you should dream to live like we do,” “you too can have a piece of the (white) American dream.” Transitional justice mechanisms such as apologies and memorials—in addition to reparations—could have the effect of forcing a national reckoning about slavery that would force us—white people—to identify with the experience of American slavery, while owning its legacy as part of both our own past and present."

This is an excellent outline and argument for reparations today. The only reason the 4-star rating applied, is because I didn't want the book to end.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deep dive into Reconstruction, I learned so much, and of course this book is incredibly timely.

[Ann]

I knew that somehow we as a nation had to address the enduring inequities but wasn't sure how to administer reparations in a fair way. This book not only makes a great case for why it is still critical that we address this head on but also provides some tangible, viable ways to at least begin the process.

[Larry · Rating 3 out of 5]

The research is really compelling and tells an undertold account of the antebellum South. Over all though, I found the writing uneven and laced with a general lack of purpose.

[Ai Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

So this is a solid and slim little volume that examines the moment between emancipation (in its many forms, not limited solely to the Emancipation Proclamation) and Reconstruction when freedmen were given land. Franke's historical work here is solid, and her analysis about how reparations might be made in the present is really interesting and worth chewing on. The language is mostly accessible, and I think this could be used really effectively in a college or even high school classroom--her invocations of Agamben, for example, are more nods than any serious theoretical work, though it is there for you if you are familiar with Agamben.

The struggle I had with this book ultimately was the struggle I have with a lot of writing about reparations in the form of land distribution, which is the question of whose land is being distributed, and what we have learned from the state distributing land and to whom. Though Franke does discuss, very briefly, the Dawes Act and the ways that land distribution has been used to undermine indigenous sovereignty, she does not spend any time thinking about the fact that it is still land belonging to indigenous people that would be distributed--which I get, because it's hugely complicated and messy. I genuinely think analyzing the case of freedmen who had been enslaved by nations of the five southeastern tribes--some of whom were promised land in the 1866 treaty, which ended enslavement in those nations--could have really built up her analysis. What happens when the land being distributed doesn't belong, in the eyes of the state, to white men? And how can we learn from the Dawes Act that the distribution of private property on the part of the state is always a move to make those involved conform to specific modes of citizenship, which are heavily gendered as well as raced? (She doesn't seem to touch on this even with the idea that single women could not own land under the Sherman distribution rules, which, given that she's written a book about marriage, seems odd to me.)

I do find her discussions of collective ownership in the present and how to get that land back into Black communities very compelling--she doesn't fully address the problem of capitalism and its relationship to property, but she seems to hint at it, and it gets its fullest address here. Overall I do think this book is a solid conversation starter engaged with other pieces talking about reparations, and many of my complaints are complaints I have about that conversation more broadly. I can definitely imagine incorporating this book into a syllabus, and also could be really useful for book clubs!

[Martha Alami · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very short dissertation on how racial discrimination in the U.S. became an essential part of our existence, beginning with slavery and continuing after the Emancipation Proclamation by unjust practices that started with mistreatment of freed slaves. Slaves were never treated as real human beings, part of the society of America and never acknowledged for their great contributions to our country. They were not given any reparations during during the Civil War reparations period, while the white man was rewarded with forgiveness and his land returned to him. Throughout our history policies and practices have always suppressed the Black race and prevented them from accumulating wealth. How to redeem ourselves and change this is subject to discussion. But many whites don’t want to even admit these things ever happened. Remembering they happened and making them part of the history that is taught would perhaps be a way to start to at least recognize the problem. I am only giving three stars because even though the author covered the reconstructed era well, I did not feel like there was enough coverage of all the other polices and practices since that time period.

[Karen Kohoutek · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was a lot more agricultural and Civil War history here than I thought I was getting myself into, but once I accepted that fact, and got over my instinct that these are boring subjects (I blame childhood influences! I'm working on it!), this gave some fairly in-depth background on little publicized parts of American history. Namely, the official governmental destruction of Black self-sufficiency efforts immediately following Emancipation. From these case studies, the author develops the argument that legally freeing the slaves, only to box them into openly exploitative wage labor situations, paved the way for economic injustices that are now entrenched into our society. This is a valuable context, and I underlined a bunch of stuff! The conclusion, with some suggestions toward how reparations could be carried out, is the least-developed part, which is so often the case. But as a whole, there's a lot to chew on, and a lot of Americans should be more aware of the history here.

[Lorie’s Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Repair: Redeeming the promise of abolition by Katherine Franke is a comprehensive account of the systems and practices used during the postbellum period to maintain the subjugation of African Americans. The core argument of the book is that the United States failure to provide reparations to formerly enslaved people has impacted the economic welfare of African Americans today. While African Americans were free, they were not freed. The freedoms African Americans gained was not the freedom whites enjoyed. They continued to be denied robust civil and political rights as well as status.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Katherine Franke really said we need to abolish capitalism in order for full reparations. She also said all white people are responsible for paying reparations, and I am so here for it. Beyond the great historical work providing "a stockpile of possible futures," Franke offers concrete ideas for reparation. A smart, smart book.

[Marian Alexander · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting history, learned a lot about the end of and immediate aftermath of the civil war and early efforts at black self-governance. But I don’t think those section were tied well to the contemporary argument for reparations.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Franke blends historic and contemporary analysis in this limited review of Black “freedom” (read: something which can be measured in economic productivity). I don’t necessarily disagree, but I think it presents a limited conception of repair.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned so much - both about specific Reconstruction-era land title things that never got taught in school and about how reparations might look today based on land rather than cash.

[Xavier · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book about land redistribution without a serious engagement with indigenous genocide and colonial theft is mid-range at best and Franke checks that box at least.