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Month: January 2026

Leading Reparations Expert Calls for Process Review on Washington Reparations Study

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OLYMPIA, Wash. — As Washington state looks to be the third state in the nation to pursue a statewide reparations study, Dr. Marcus Anthony Hunter today released an open letter to Washington State Attorney General Nicholas Brown. Dr. Hunter is a professor of Sociology and African American Studies and the author of “Radical Reparations: Healing the Soul of a Nation.”

This letter followed Dr. Hunter’s struggle to obtain a debrief and submit a protest regarding the process and selection in the State of Washington Department of Commerce’s Charles Mitchell and George Washington Bush Study on Reparative Action. His experiencing studying and contributing to reparations commissions situate him as a clear expert for the study, yet he was repeatedly denied the due process that he was entitled to.

As an esteemed academic with nationwide recognition for his reparations research and advocacy, Dr. Hunter raised concerns about the harms caused by procedural failures and performative equity when considering reparations.

“Reparations demand more than aspiration,” Dr. Hunter said. “They demand institutional courage. They demand procedural truth. This request is not about reversing an award. It is about safeguarding the architecture of justice at the very moment a state attempts to give it form.”

The open letter to State Attorney General Nicholas Brown is available in its entirety here: https://www.marcusanthonyhunter.com/rol

If you are interested in discussing this matter with Dr. Hunter further, please contact press@spotlightpr.org.

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Dr. Marcus Anthony Hunter is a sociologist and public scholar whose work focuses on Black communities, urban policy, and reparative justice. He is the author of “Radical Reparations: Healing the Soul of a Nation.”

Child Care Advocates to Elected Officials: Protect Us All

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For Immediate Release

January 27, 2026

WASHINGTON – Following the tragic killing of ICU nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis by a U.S. Border Patrol agent, child care organizers and advocates with 9to5 Georgia, the Alabama Institute for Social Justice, Alliance for Quality Education NY, the Colorado Statewide Parent Coalition, SPACEs in Action/Community Change, and the Raising Child Care Fund today issued the following statement:

“As child care organizers and parents, we grieve the perilous conditions unleashed by federal agents on children and families in Minnesota and beyond,” said Mary Ignatius, executive director of Parent Voices. “From threats to freeze child care funding, to dangerous immigration raids, to the calculated racial profiling of people of color, many communities feel unfairly targeted. This should matter to us all.”

“We know firsthand that children cannot learn when they are in survival mode,” said Lenice Emanuel, executive director of the Alabama Institute for Social Justice. “Child care educators cannot teach when they, and the children and families they serve, are under attack. Moreover, communities cannot know safety when they, and the public officials charged with serving them, are terrorized by federal agents.”

“Indeed, the federal government appears to have turned on her citizens,” said Lorena Garcia, CEO, Colorado Statewide Parents Coalition. “Law enforcement has been deputized to hunt persons suspected of being undocumented, with a new memo suggesting Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) could go door to door in search of undocumented immigrants. The practice of “detain first, ask questions later,” is immoral and dangerous. It isn’t in service of keeping the nation safe; it is designed to instill terror and fear in the American people.

“In the space of a few weeks, we’ve seen a pregnant woman pulled from her car, a disabled woman who was on her way to a medical appointment detained, a toddler and preschooler detained and flown out of the state, police officers of color detained, and multiple people shot, some fatally, by ICE or Border Patrol. The killing of Renee Good and Alex Pretti have been well publicized, but they are not anomalies. In 2025, 32 people died in Immigration Customs and Enforcement custody, including 7 people who died in December 2025 alone,” Ignatius said.

“In a developed nation, no one should fear extra-judicial killings,” said LaDon Love, executive director, SPACEs in Action. It is imperative that each of us contact our respective federal officials and ask them to immediately pull ICE and DHS from Minnesota, and to prevent their entry in other American cities. As Jamelle Bouie from the New York Times has said, “mass deportation is inherently cruel.””

Child care advocates urge parents and others to:

  • Ask elected leaders to fund child care, not ICE.
  • Contact your elected leaders via email or phone, and share your thoughts about ICE.
  • Ask elected leaders for a thorough investigation into ICE killings.

“As an entity dedicate to children, families and child care providers, the RCCF joins our grantee partners in supporting the health, safety, and well-being of children, families, and early educators facing heightened stress and uncertainty in their communities,” said Rachel Schumacher, Director, the Raising Child Care Fund.

 

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This Black History Month, Anticipate and Then Act for Brighter Future

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For Immediate Release

January 26, 2026

ST. LOUIS, MO – In observance of Black History Month, the Deaconess Foundation today issued the following statement. The statement should be attributed to Deaconess Foundation President & CEO Bethany Johnson-Javois, and Vice President, Strategic Impact & Innovation, Constance Harper.

“On the eve of this Black History Month, many are wondering if progress is a thing of the past. Black History Month in 2026 is occurring at a time national unrest, widespread anxiety, and a breathtaking assault on the rule of law. Organizations that work to strengthen democracy express feeling under siege, and communities bearing disproportionate harm feel similarly targeted. One could be forgiven for questioning whether our best days (as a nation) are behind us,” Johnson-Javois said.

“Regardless of what is happening around you, do not surrender your imagination. Every system of domination begins by narrowing what people can imagine as possible. Indeed, do not let current events dampen your anticipation. Now more than ever, people of faith must tap into anticipation and allow that anticipation to fuel their advocacy. ‘Holy Anticipation’ is a disciplined spiritual posture that prepares us to respond rightly and righteously to God’s movement and human plans before they fully unfold,” Johnson-Javois said.

“Expectation and anticipation are not the same:  Expectation is confidence in God’s character and promises. But anticipation is how that confidence takes shape in a life of faithfulness and preparation. To anticipate a future that subsequent generations can be inspired by is to accept the responsibility to act in ways that make that future real. This is a moment to assert and organize for a future that sees, protects, and welcomes all. This is not a moment to shrink in fear or hopeless resignation. As we embark on Black History Month, our remembrance and celebration should interrupt routine and outlive the limits of a 31-day cycle,” Johnson-Javois said.

“Make a list of courageous actions, both big and small, that you can take to help create the beloved community our ancestors anticipated. This may look like calling elected leaders and urging them to do what is right, not merely what is politically expedient. It may look like showing up for those the powers that be are attempting to erase, with a clear expectation of mutual responsibility, shared risk, and collective liberation. It may look like intentionally standing with those who are in harm’s way. The bottom line is this. During Black History Month, anticipate the future you want to see and prepare to act in ways that help bring it into being, understanding that freedom has always required participation and that each of us must find our way into the fight,” Harper said.

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Radical Reparations Fiercely Reimagines the Legacies of Black Americans; Paves Unifying Path Forward for the Nation

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For Immediate Release

January 20, 2026

LOS ANGELES – At the same time the nation is witnessing the erasure of the contributions of Black Americans, a prominent sociologist, Dr. Marcus Anthony Hunter, today announced the paperback release of his seminal work, “Radical Reparations: Healing the Soul of A Nation.” The groundbreaking tome echoes the spirit of Derrick Bell’s Faces at the Bottom of the Well. It offers a radical and refreshing framework on reparations, and invites us to seriously grapple with issues of justice and repair.

In celebration of the launch of the book, Hunter will headline an event at Baldwin & Co. on January 20, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. CST. The event is open press; interested parties may register here.

For over a century, the idea of reparations for the descendants of formerly enslaved Black Americans has divided the nation. While the iconic phrase “40 acres and a mule” encapsulates the general notion of reparations, history has proven that the damages of enslavement on the African American community remarkably transcends what plots of land or checks could repair.

In a compelling reframing of justice, Hunter reimagines reparations and defines seven types of compensation: political, intellectual, legal, economic, spatial, social, and spiritual. He developed this framework using analysis of historical documents, comparative international cases, and speculative parables.

While highlighting the insufficiency of monetary settlement alone, Hunter presents a revolutionary manifesto to achieve holistic and prolific healing for Black communities.

As a social justice pioneer, conversation shifter, and inventor of the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag, Hunter invites, indeed demands, us to grapple with transformative and comprehensive solutions to repair and heal the nation’s original sin. For instance, he has spoken passionately about labor acknowledgements honoring the contributions of formerly enslaved Black Americans.

Trenchant and timely, RADICAL REPARATIONS fiercely reimagines the forthcoming legacies of Black Americans and paves a unifying path forward for us all.

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