SOLUTIONS & SWAN SONG. By Jan Roberts jroberts@ciaction.org
I mark the beginning of my years of grass roots organizing and advocacy for social and economic justice as 1974. I was hired as a new, but old in years, USF psychology graduate as a counselor at the Women’ s Resource Center, a nonprofit that offered services to women in the jails and on probation.  The years since then have been filled with my constant research, development, and implementation of programs locally and nationally to serve women, all humanity, and the planet.

More recently, I have focused on documenting solutions and amplifying them through articles, books, a theatrical production, and film. Some of you will remember my 2 ½ month solo drive around the country in my Prius in 2014 to film innovators especially those engaged in initiatives for an economy that brings prosperity to the many not just the few.  

Last September at the ripe old, but still adventurous, age of 83, I embarked on my Swan Song Road Trip with a camera person in tow to document solutions addressing the wealth inequity of Blacks and Native Americans. It is important to note that the solutions that I cover create systemic change; they are not band-aids.  

Today, with my Creative Women’s Team, we are moving forward on the production of a documentary and docuseries on the interviewees’ powerful initiatives in ten cities and on two reservations.  What is giving me joy is that all the pieces are coming together for this documentary beginning with an academy award winning documentarian, who volunteered as Executive Producer because she believes so much in the project, and nine additional women, who are sharing their passion and talents as writers, filmmakers, artists, radio music show host, theater producer and grant writer.

My initial effort to give you an idea about the solutions featured in the documentary is a PowerPoint on Athena’s website.  It features some personal road trip highlights as well as an introduction to the interviewees.  I am happy to give a presentation to fill in more detail about the powerful initiatives taking place.  The temporary title for the documentary is REPAIR as that is a term some of my interviewees used to describe their work. Onward.

African Americans Have Historically Shown Us the Way Forward with One Form of Reparations
By Jan Roberts, Founder Cultural Innovations in Action
I was so excited to read Jessica Gordon Nembhard’s book: Collective Courage: A History of African American Cooperative Economic Thought and Practice. It is a pathbreaking book. It took Nembhard ten years to research and write it, because the history of cooperatives and the key role of African Americans in them is difficult to find and unravel from the few records and sources that do exist. more…

The Wisdom & Principles of Indigenous Economies
Indigenous economies are founded on meeting the most needs of the most people while sustaining the planet for future generations. Rebecca Adamson is an Indigenous Economist, Founder of First Nations Development Institute, Founder of First Peoples Worldwide and long time advocate of Indigenous rights. In this interview with Jan Roberts, Founder of Cultural Innovations in Action, Rebecca gives an awesome tutorial on the world view and principles of Indigenous economies.  Watch the video here.

Native Americans: Trail Blazers for the New & Just Economy 8/28/2019
You may be surprised to learn that the growing New & Just Economy that puts people and the planet before profit is not actually new. Its principles of a thriving local economy, economic opportunities that benefit all, and ecological sustainability can be found in the Native American worldview.  more…

US Economy Is Founded on Slavery & Stolen Native American Lands  11/24/2019
I have been tragically remiss in the planning for my documentary being filmed in 2021 about the New & Just Economy—a restructuring of our economy based on the wellbeing of people, planet and prosperity. The foundation of our current economy is the slave industry and the stealing of Native American lands.  It seems critical to me that since I am documenting a New & Just Economy that I cover the sordid history of the current economy as well as what is being done currently to make some kind of amends.  more…

Solutions for Racial Wealth Inequity November 2020
Call to Action:  There are things we can do to rectify the systemic racial wealth inequities that exist between Blacks and Whites.  We can raise awareness of the realities of these inequities and engage with others within our spheres of influence and our community to enact changes that address them. This article is a sampling of solutions taking place around the U.S.  more…

A Sampling of Reparations for Black Americans Being Proposed and Enacted Around U.S.
Jan Roberts, founder of Cultural Innovations in Action, spoke recently to the Athena Society in Tampa about reparations addressing the racial wealth inequity endured by Black Americans for over 400 years. Reparations include direct payment to descendants of slavery, community wealth building in Black institutions, funding for Black institutions, Black farmers and Equal Justice in the courts.   Watch the video here.

Groundbreakers for Racial Equity & Justice  Jan Roberts, Founder of Cultural Innovations in Action, distilled 7 hours of zoom interviews to 6 minutes of highlights of conversations with William Darity, Ph.D. and Kirsten Mullen, Co-Authors of From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in 21st Century; Hakim Williams, Ed.D., Director of Peace & Justice Studies at Gettysburg College and Steve Hanlon, J.D., veteran public interest and civil rights attorney.  Watch the video here. 

Reparations for Black Americans: Kirsten Mullen  “The racism we are fighting today was originally conjured to justify the enslavement of people to generate wealth for others including White Planters, bankers and textile workers. The prosperity of this country is linked to the forced labor of the ancestors of 40 million black Americans and to the stolen land of the country’s indigenous people. At the center of any policies to address racial wealth inequity must be reparations.” New York Times Magazine July 7, 2020; Nikole Hannah-Jones. Interview with  Kirsten Mullen.co-author of From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the 21st Century, by Jan Roberts, founder of Cultural Innovations in Action.  Watch the video here.

Over Incarceration and Voter Suppression of Blacks: William Darity, Jr.  William Darity, Jr. Ph.D. is an economist and researcher. He is Professor of Public Policy at Duke University. Together with Kirsten Mullen, he co-authored “From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the 21st Century. Skype interview with Jan Roberts, Founder of Cultural Innovations in Action.  Watch the video here. 

History of Racial Wealth Inequity with William Darity, Ph. D. We know Covid 19 is killing African Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans at greater rates than any other group. Today’s disparities of health flow directly from yesterday’s disparities of wealth and opportunity. William Darity, Jr. Ph.D. is an economist and researcher. He is Professor of Public Policy at Duke University. Together with Kirsten Mullen, he co-authored “From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the 21st Century. Skype interview with Jan Roberts, Founder of Cultural Innovations in Action.  Watch the video here. 

Options for Racial Healing with Hakim Williams, Ed.D. The Black Lives Matter protests, pandemic and economic crisis have shone a klieg light on the inequalities and injustices suffered by African and Native Americans for centuries. To move forward, we need to have a plan for reparations that includes healing on all sides. Hakim Williams, Ed.D. is an Associate Professor of Africana Studies and Director of Peace & Justice Center at Gettysburg College and conducts restorative circles in Black communities. He is interviewed by Jan Roberts, Founder of Cultural Innovations in Action.  Watch the video here.

Steve Hanlon, J.D.: Converting Criminal Processing System to Criminal Justice.  Steve is longtime civil rights attorney, who at the age of 78 years is still going strong. He just won a case in Missouri that limits Public Defenders’ workloads so that there is criminal justice for low income people not criminal processing. He is interviewed by Jan Roberts, Founder of Cultural Innovations in Action.  Watch the video here.

Equal Defense and Justice for Indigent People with Stephen F. Hanlon, J.D. Steve Hanlon, J.D. is a longtime public interest and civil rights attorney focused on theconnection of the law with public policy. He has successfully fought for systemic change for public defenders in order to provide true justice to their indigent clients at the state level and his fight in now going nationally. Stephen F. Hanlon. www.lawyerhanlon.com.  Steve is interviewed via Zoom by Jan Roberts, Founder of Cultural Innovations in Action.  Watch the video here.

Personal & Community Healing is Essential to a Plan for Reparations with Hakim Williams, Ed.D. The Black Lives Matter protests, pandemic and economic crisis have shone a klieg light on the inequalities and injustices suffered by African and Native Americans for centuries. To move forward, we need to have a plan for reparations that includes healing on all sides. Hakim Williams, Ed.D. speaks about his journey as a child born in poverty in Trinidad to realize his calling as a healer. He is an Associate Professor of Africana Studies and Director of Peace & Justice Center at Gettysburg College and conducts restorative circles in Black communities. He is interviewed by Jan Roberts, Founder of Cultural Innovations in Action.  Watch the video here.

Anti-Racism & Anti-Oppression with Reverend Mel Hoover Reverend Hoover recounts growing up in a country of Apartheid in Columbus, OH and his work to create a Beloved Community. Interview with Jan Roberts, founder Cultural Innovations in Action.  Watch the video here.

Indigenous Artist Nora Naranjo-Morse Focuses on Justice Nora Naranjo Morse is a Native American artist and poet and a member of the Santa Clara Pueblo. She is nationally known for her large scale installations on social and environmental justice. She is interviewed about her history growing up in the White culture and her process as she works by Jan Roberts, founder of Cultural Innovations in Action.  Watch the video here.

Reclaiming Sacred Beings with Seneca Nation Member Terry Cross. One man’s fascinating quest to decolonize indigenous peoples of North America and restore their cultures.  Terry Cross, Co-Founder of the National Indian Child Welfare Association is interviewed by Jan Roberts, Founder of Cultural Innovations in Action.  Watch the video here.

Denver’s American Indian Commission & Its Work with Darius Smith. New Indian organizations combat stereotypes and foster leadership in innovative ways—from building a skate park to aid in suicide prevention to partnering with college sports teams named for tribes. Darius Smith, Navajo, is interviewed in Denver by Jan Roberts, founder of Cultural Innovations in Action.  Watch the video here.