Arc of Justice
For every dollar of wealth owned by the average US white household, the average Black household has ten cents. The ARC of Justice, grounded in the scholarship of prominent African American economist William Darity Jr., explores how that racial wealth gap came to be.
The series is unique in that it focuses on the roots of the racial wealth gap in U.S. policy. It combines scholarly expertise with historical and contemporary real-world stories and voices of ordinary citizens like Hortense McClinton, a 102-year-old woman whose father was born into slavery. The tone is thoughtful, conversational and sound-rich.
Notable guests include Duke University professor William A. Darity Jr. and folklorist A. Kirsten Mullen, authors of From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the Twenty-First Century.
About the Program
Episodes can stand alone or be aired as a series.
Episode 1: Not So Long Ago
Slavery wasn’t so very long ago. Yet often, accurate accounts of that time have been papered over by history that diminishes or misrepresents that time. Also: a tale of two promises made by the government – one kept, one broken -- and how this history relates to today’s wealth gap between Black and white Americans.
Episode 2: A Tale of Two Cities
An exploration of policies that hindered African American progress, including home ownership (stories from Detroit and Memphis) and the GI Bill.
Episode 3: White Brutality
Throughout the nation’s history, time and again, promising signs of African American progress have been shattered by acts of violence serving the interests of white supremacy.
Episode 4: A Conversation About Reparations (based on a live event)
The U.S. has paid reparations to several groups, for a variety of wrongs. But reparations to African Americans have not been paid to date. What’s the case for reparations? And how might such a program work?
“The ARC of Justice” tells the story of how the vast racial wealth gap in the U.S. came to be. It brings to life the federal policies that helped create the gap through stories of real Americans. The series closes with a conversation about reparations for Black Americans.
Length
Four, one-hour long episodes
Show Clock
ContentDepot File Transfer
Preview audio available: May 10, 2022
Promo spot available: May 10, 2022
Program rundown available: May 20, 2022
Date content will be uploaded: One day before each air window opens
Broadcast Window
Episode 1: Not So Long Ago May 24, 2022 - September 6, 2022
Episode 2: A Tale of Two Cities May 25, 2022 - September 6, 2022
Episode 3: White Brutality May 26, 2022 - September 6, 2022
Episode 4: A Conversation About Reparations May 27, 2022 - September 6, 2022
Broadcast Rights
Affiliate stations may carry each episode multiple times before the air window closes. The program must be carried in its entirety - no excerpting is permitted. Simulcast streaming rights are available for this program. Prior to carrying this program, stations must contact their American Public Media Station Relations Representative.
Lindsay Foster Thomas
Lindsay is Content Director at North Carolina Public Radio/WUNC. Thomas was producer, then managing editor for WUNC's The State of Things. At Marketplace, she helped re-launch a weekend personal finance program and embedded with an investigative team for the project "York & Fig," which examined gentrification through the lens of one LA neighborhood. Thomas was senior producer for On Second Thought at Georgia Public Broadcasting with host Celeste Headlee. She was also part of the national production team at WAMU that launched NPR's 1A with Joshua Johnson, serving as its senior managing producer. Thomas is a graduate of Columbia's School of Journalism.
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