Founding Director William A. Darity Jr. was interviewed for a Forbes Talk by Ali Jackson-Jolley to discuss what economic freedom looks like in 2026. Dr. Darity is one of the leading voices in academia advancing the case for Black reparations in the U.S. He co-authored From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the Twenty-First Century, 1st. & 2nd. ed. with A. Kirsten Mullen and is a co-editor on The Black Reparations Project: A Handbook for Racial Justice.
In this interview, Darity covers the beginnings of the racial wealth gap and the scale of the reparations needed to close this gap. He also addresses the economic progress the Black community has made, but that it is not enough to cover the Black-White wealth gap.
I’m reluctant to say it only can be done by government, but I am not reluctant to say that Black Americans can’t really do this on our own.”
Watch the full interview here: This Juneteenth, Economist William Darity Says True Freedom Has A Price Tag: $16 Trillion