“Slavery was too long ago.” That's one of the first arguments we hear whenever reparations for Black Americans are discussed. So in Episode 51 of **Beyond Nrml w/ Mya Lamis**, I decided to ask a different question: **What if we took slavery out of the conversation for a moment?** What happens when we look at what happened AFTER slavery? Jim Crow. Legal segregation. Black Codes and vagrancy laws. Convict leasing. Voting discrimination. Redlining and housing discrimination. Employment discrimination. Unequal schools. Racial violence and intimidation. And policies that affected Black Americans' ability to own property, vote, receive an equal education, obtain certain jobs, build businesses and accumulate wealth. The Civil Rights Act wasn't signed until 1964. The Voting Rights Act came in 1965. The Fair Housing Act came in 1968. That means there are Americans alive today who were born into a country where many forms of racial discrimination and segregation were still legally permitted or enforced. So when someone says, “That happened so long ago,” I think we have to ask: **How long ago is long enough?** In this episode, we're talking about: • The reparations debate beyond slavery • What happened after emancipation • Black Codes and vagrancy laws • Convict leasing • Jim Crow and legal segregation • Voting discrimination • Redlining and discriminatory housing policies • How homeownership affects generational wealth • Employment and educational discrimination • The difference between individual responsibility and government responsibility • Why “I didn't do it” doesn't answer every question surrounding government policy • What people actually mean when they discuss reparations • Arguments for and against reparations • Questions surrounding eligibility, cost and implementation • Why this history still matters when discussing Black wealth today This isn't about pretending there aren't difficult questions surrounding reparations. There are. Who qualifies? What would reparations look like? Who would pay? Would compensation be individual, community-based, or both? How would the amount be determined? Those questions deserve serious discussion. But asking **how repair should happen** is different from pretending there was **nothing to repair.** Whether you support reparations, oppose them, or don't know where you stand, I want this episode to encourage you to learn the history first. Then make your own decision. 💬 JOIN THE CONVERSATION: **If slavery were completely removed from the argument, do Jim Crow, segregation, redlining and other discriminatory government policies change how you think about reparations?** Keep the conversation respectful in the comments. 🎙️ Subscribe to **Beyond Nrml w/ Mya Lamis** for conversations about history, society, Black wealth, healing, entrepreneurship, current events and becoming the best version of ourselves. 👕 Shop Beyond Nrml: BeyondNRML.com 📚 eBooks, coaching & resources: stan.store/MyaLamis #Reparations #BlackHistory #BeyondNrml #MyaLamis #JimCrow #Redlining #Segregation #BlackWealth #CivilRights #BlackEconomics #GenerationalWealth #AfricanAmericanHistory #BlackPodcasters #HistoryPodcast #SocialCommentary