The East Side Freedom Library and the St. Paul Recovery Act Reparations Book Group invite you to a discussion:

‘The Lies of Emancipation: The Failure of Reconstruction, the Development of Sharecropping, and the Growth of Convict Labor”

Six months ago, our project began discussing the long-term consequences of uncompensated African American labor in the perpetuation of racially-based inequality. The murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks, and too many others, have generated a new interest in historical study. Just this past month, awareness of the holiday of Juneteenth has awakened knowledge of the process of Emancipation. There is so much to know…

This month, our project will look into the defeat of Reconstruction and the emergence of convict labor and sharecropping as new forms of the exploitation of African American labor. We invite you to read these two articles:

• Portside: Racial Terror: 2,000 Black Americans Were Lynched in Reconstruction Era, Report Says
• History Dojo: Sharecropping: Slavery By Another Name

We also invite you to watch the documentary film “Slavery by Another Name.” It can be found on See Black See Power’s YouTube channel.

These resources will provide the basis for our conversation, and we ask that you engage them if you want to attend. Newcomers are always welcome.

Please email [email protected] for a link to the Zoom invitation.

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