Verifying Reparations: Freedmen Reparations Fund Trust Demands Accountability from Justice League of Greater Lansing
- Arthur Watkins Jr.
- Apr 19
- 1 min read
Today, the Freedmen Reparations Fund Trust issued a formal notice to the Justice League of Greater Lansing regarding its newly launched Reparations Scholarship Program. While the Justice League’s effort to address historical injustice through educational opportunities is appreciated, the Trust firmly reminded the organization that reparations must be based on verified historical status—not race.
The letter, signed and delivered by Arthur Watkins Jr., Grantor and Primary Trustee of the Trust, outlines a clear legal and ethical position: only those with documented U.S. chattel slavery lineage—referred to as Verified Freedmen—are eligible for status-based reparations. Without such verification, any reparations program risks devolving into a racial classification-based charity, which could expose it to legal vulnerabilities similar to those that dismantled affirmative action in recent court rulings.
The Trust requested three key actions from the Justice League:
Acknowledge the Trust’s national authority over Freedmen status verification.
Allow applicants to verify their Freedmen status through the Trust’s secure genealogy verification platform.
Clarify publicly whether their current awards are based on race or verified historical status.
The Trust emphasized that the goal is not to oppose scholarships, but to ensure that reparative justice is legally sound and ethically aligned. It is prepared to verify each applicant’s eligibility and assist programs in maintaining integrity in their reparations models.
This formal outreach was sent by certified mail and documented publicly by the American Freedmen Legal Fund to protect the legacy and legitimacy of status-based reparations.
Learn more or begin the Freedmen Genealogy Verification process at:
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