Why a post-racial America begins with land returns | Brea Baker | TEDxBoulder
Brea Baker's grandfather passed away in 2019 and one of the last things he said was a warning: don’t sell the land. As an intergenerational landowner, Brea has internalized how much Black elders like her grandfather have loved the land while watching it be snatched from under them. The solution to racial wealth gaps and environmental injustice? Reparations. Instead of fearing reparations, we can begin to see it as a critical path to addressing historic wrongs and creating paths for wealth and justice for Black Americans. Brea Baker is a freedom fighter and writer (in that order) who has been working on the frontlines for over a decade, first as a student activist and now as a national strategist. With a B.A. in Political Science from Yale University, Brea believes deeply in the need for nuanced storytelling and Black culture as tools for change. As a writer, Brea has commented on race, gender, and sexuality for publications like ELLE, Harper’s BAZAAR, Refinery29 Unbothered, Coveteur, MISSION Magazine, PARADE, THEM, gal-dem (UK), and more. Her book, Rooted: The American Legacy of Land Theft & The Modern Movement for Black Land Ownership, was published by One World (an imprint of Penguin Random House).Brea has essays published in anthologies like OUR HISTORY HAS ALWAYS BEEN CONTRABAND: IN DEFENSE OF BLACK STUDIES & Devin Allen's NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE. For her work in coalition with other activists and organizers, Brea Baker has been recognized as a 2023 Creative Capital awardee, a 2017 Glamour Woman of the Year, and 2019 i-D Up and Rising. Brea has spoken globally about racial justice and coalition building towards a more equitable future including the United Nations' Girl Up Initiative, Duke University, Yale Law School, the University of Chicago, the University of Southern California, Youth 2 Youth Summit in Hong Kong, Pace Gallery, Museum of City of New York, and more. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
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