Yesterday, William A. (“Sandy”) Darity Jr., Founding Director of the Samuel DuBois Cook Center, spoke at the Bob Moses Conference in Boston, where he outlined the staggering economic toll of slavery and mass incarceration. He noted that the wealth extracted from enslaved labor totals an estimated $18.6 trillion at a 3% interest rate, and could reach $6.2 quadrillion at 6%.
Drawing from his work with the California State Reparations Task Force, Dr. Darity also pointed to findings that racialized incarceration has cost Black Californians approximately $228 billion in lost wages.
Dr. Darity joined scholars and community leaders including Bryan Stevenson, Ruha Benjamin, Rachel Barkow, and Janet Jemmott Moses in advancing conversations on education, justice, and equity as part of the conference honoring the legacy of civil rights leader Bob Moses.
Read coverage of his remarks here and learn more about the conference on the event website.