The National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America

The National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America (N'COBRA) is an organization based out of Washington, DC that seeks financial compensation for the descendants of former slaves in the United States.

Origins

Goals

The group advocates that the US Government, US corporations and individuals who benefited from the labors of former slaves should pay reparations of an undisclosed amount and say that further study needs to be done to find the exact amount, but estimate that the amount may be approximately $8,000,000,000,000 (eight trillion.)^[1] Based on the estimated US population for 2008,^[2] this amounts to approximately $205,000 per black citizen in the United States. The group also seeks an apology from the entire white race, including those considered "white" in the United States today who came over after the slave movement.

Supporters

The following list of persons spoke at a 2002 rally in Washington DC:^[3]

• Rev. Louis Farrakhan, Nation of Islam leader
• Dr. Imari Obadele, founder of NCOBRA
• Ms. Dorothy Benton-Lewis and Mr. Jahahara Alkebulan, male and female co-chairs
• Ms. Adjoa Aiyetoro, Co-Chair of the NCOBRA Legal Commission
• Mr. Charles Ogletree, Professor of Law at Harvard
• Dr. Ron Daniels, founder and CEO of the Institute of the Black World
• Ms Harriet Frost of the Rosewood Idella Carrier Foundation
• Mr. Gary Grant of the Black Farmers Association
• Mr. Hilary Shelton, director of the Washington, DC Branch of the NAACP
• Mr. Damu Smith, director of the National Black Environmental Justice Network
• Mr. Malik Zulu Shabazz, of the New Black Panther Party
• Mr. Senghor Baye of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA)
• Mr. Omali Yeshitela of the African People's Socialist Party

Legislation

In 2001, N'COBRA supported H.R.40, entitled Commission to Study Reparation Proposals for African-Americans Act.^[4] This bill was sponsored by Rep John Conyers Jr. and included the following co-sponsors:^[5]

• Rep David E. Bonior MI
• Rep Bob Brady PA
• Rep Corrine Brown FL
• Rep Julia Carson IN
• Rep Elijah Cummings MD
• Rep Danny K. Davis IL
• Rep Cal Dooley CA
• Rep Chaka Fattah PA
• Rep Alcee Hastings FL
• Rep Earl F. Hilliard AL
• Rep Jesse Jackson, Jr. IL
• Rep Sheila Jackson-Lee TX
• Rep William J. Jefferson LA
• Rep Eddie Bernice Johnson TX
• Rep Stephanie Tubbs Jones OH
• Rep Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick MI
• Rep Barbara Lee CA
• Rep James H. Maloney CT
• Rep Karen McCarthy MO
• Rep Jim McDermott WA
• Rep Cynthia McKinney GA
• Rep Carrie P. Meek FL
• Rep Gregory Meeks NY
• Rep Juanita Millender-McDonald CA
• Rep Eleanor Holmes Norton DC
• Rep John Olver MA
• Rep Major Owens NY
• Rep Charles B. Rangel NY
• Rep Lynn N. Rivers MI
• Rep Bobby Rush IL
• Rep Jan Schakowsky IL
• Rep Ellen Tauscher CA
• Rep Bennie Thompson MS
• Rep Edolphus Towns NY
• Rep Maxine Waters CA
• Rep Diane Watson CA
• Rep Albert Wynn MD

References

1. "Ncobra Information". Ncobra.com. Retrieved 2009-03-13.
2. "CIA - The World Factbook - United States". Cia.gov. Retrieved 2009-03-13.
3. "NCOBRA". Web.archive.org. 2003-02-08. Archived from the original on February 8, 2003. Retrieved 2014-03-18.
4. "NCOBRA". Web.archive.org. 2002-12-12. Archived from the original on December 12, 2002. Retrieved 2014-03-18.
5. "Bill Summary & Status - 107th Congress (2001 - 2002) - H.R.40 - THOMAS (Library of Congress)". Thomas.loc.gov. 2001-01-03. Retrieved 2014-03-18.