A deeply telling new book sheds light on the systemic injustice that has plagued Black Americans for generations. Authored by Andrew W. Kahrl, a professor of history and African American studies at the University of Virginia, “The Black Tax: 150 Years of Theft, Exploitation, and Dispossession in America” unveils the insidious ways in which U.S. bureaucracies perpetuated the racial wealth gap through discriminatory tax policies.
Per Bloomberg, the book reveals how the United States systematically siphoned $600 billion from the Black community through unfair taxes in the aftermath of slavery. Kahrl writes, “This history sheds new light on the forces generating economic inequality in America and the racial character of those inequalities.”
Kahrl’s meticulously researched book exposes how municipal and state taxes were weaponized to strip Black Americans of their land ownership and perpetuate cycles of poverty. Drawing on a wealth of statistics, studies, and personal anecdotes, Kahrl chronicles how racist laws and practices, dating back to the Jim Crow era, systematically marginalized Black landowners.
One of the book’s chilling examples recounts the plight of Anthony Fleming and J.R. Rooks, Black landowners who were forcibly driven off their farmland by white supremacist mobs. Undeterred, they established the town of Edmonson, Arkansas, with the aim of creating a haven for Black land ownership.
In 1911, Edmonson, Arkansas, boasted an area spanning 30 square miles, featuring a plethora of establishments including stores, a bank, a hotel, and a post office catering to the needs of the local Black homeowners.
Yet, their efforts were overpowered when white plantation owners conspired to impose hidden taxes on Edmonson residents, ultimately seizing their land and demolishing their homes.
Another tragic tale is that of Hillery Thomas Stewart Sr., whose family lost 24 acres of land over an $18.83 tax bill, plunging them into poverty. These stories are symbolic of the systemic exploitation and dispossession endured by Black Americans for over a century.
When considering the 11 million acres of land seized from Black Americans, it amounts to $326 billion in present-day currency. Additionally, it’s important to acknowledge the millions in excess taxes paid by Black Americans over the course of a century. Between 1870 and 2020, Black Americans were burdened with over $275 billion in taxes in 2023 dollars.
However, Kahrl not only highlights the dark realities but also offers solutions to rectify decades of financial oppression. He advocates for the establishment of a federal fiscal equity program similar to Canada’s model, which disperses funds to local governments based on need.
Additionally, Kahrl proposes universal home tax exemptions for lower-income homeowners and those in historically neglected areas, along with imposing taxes on some of the United States’ most wealthy individuals.
“The Black Tax: 150 Years of Theft, Exploitation, and Dispossession in America” serves as a blinding eye opener to America’s history of racial injustice and a call to action for meaningful restitution. The book was released on April 24.
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