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Strap in — this week, the Three for the Founders crew is coming for the biggest unpaid invoice in American history: reparations. In a raw, unfiltered roundtable, the hosts cut through the noise and zero in on why the U.S. has never paid its debts to Black Americans.

From the Homestead Act’s land giveaways for white settlers to actual reparations paid to other groups (hello, Japanese Americans and Holocaust survivors), this conversation lays bare the hypocrisy and moral gymnastics of the American government.

The hosts come with receipts, bold proposals (think free college, housing equity, generational wealth repair), and sharp takedowns of the narratives that keep reparations stalled. Whether you think reparations are overdue or out of reach, this episode is built to challenge you.

It's truth-telling with teeth — and it just might rewire the way you think about justice, history, and America's favorite habit: selective amnesia.

🧠 Questions to Ponder (or Argue About Over Dinner)

1. What do you think reparations should look like?
   Cash payments? Free college? Housing programs? What feels like real repair?
2. Why do some Americans see reparations as “unfair” — and who taught them that?
   Is it really about fairness, or fear of accountability?
3. If we can bail out banks, fund wars, and give tax breaks to billionaires, why is reparations where we draw the line?
4. Who benefits when we don’t talk about reparations?
   Silence isn't neutral. It protects someone — but not the people harmed.
5. How would owning and addressing the crime of slavery reshape our national identity?
   Can we ever become the country we claim to be without doing this?

✅ Action Items for the Real Ones

• 📚 Educate Yourself
  Dive into real proposals like HR 40, and works by scholars like Dr. William Darity (From Here to Equality) or Ta-Nehisi Coates (“The Case for Reparations”).
• 🗣️ Start the Conversation
  Bring up reparations in your group chat, book club, or family dinner. See who squirms — and why.
• 🔎 Follow the Money
  Research how your local government, alma mater, or workplace may have profited from slavery or segregation. Many institutions already have receipts.
• 📞 Push Local Leaders
  Don’t wait on Congress. Ask your city council: What’s our reparations plan? Cities like Evanston, Chicago, and San Francisco are already testing models.
• 💵 Support Black-Led Orgs
  Invest in the folks doing the work now — mutual aid funds, education equity initiatives, housing justice orgs. Reparations isn’t just policy. It’s practice.

“Don’t just listen — rethink, respond, and resist. Reparations isn’t just a political issue. It’s a moral one. And silence is a vote to keep the status quo.”

🎙️ Three for the Founders

Air Date: July 14, 2025
Duration: 64:06 minutes

Thanks for joining us. Still got questions? Other things to say? Hit us up at Three for the Founders on Instagram or TikTok and let us know. Til the next time...left on founders...we out!