Essential The Official ADOS Discussion Thread

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More than 150 years ago, a prison complex known as the Lone Rock stockade operated at one of the biggest coal mines in Tennessee.
It was powered largely by African American men who had been arrested for minor offenses — like stealing a hog — if they committed any crime at all. Women and children, some as young as 12, were sent there as well.
The work, dangerous and sometimes deadly, was their punishment.
The state was leasing these prisoners out to private companies for a fee, in a practice known all across the South as convict leasing. In states like Texas, Florida, Georgia and Alabama , prisoners were also used to help build railroads, cut timber, make bricks, pick cotton and grow sugar on plantations.
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In a joint investigation, reporters from the Associated Press and Reveal at the Center for Investigative Reporting spent months unearthing this history. They focused on Tennessee Coal, Iron & Railroad, which ran the stockade and coal mine, and the company that later bought it, U.S. Steel.
The team found someone living today whose ancestor was imprisoned in the Lone Rock stockade nearly 140 years ago. They also interviewed the descendent of a man who got rich from his role in pioneering Tennessee’s convict leasing system.
The reporters also heard from U.S. Steel. For the first time, it said it was willing to discuss its past with members of the affected community.
Listen to the podcast here:
WHAT IS CONVICT LEASING?
Convict leasing was essentially a new form of slavery that started after the Civil War and went on for decades across the South. States — and companies — got rich by arresting mostly Black men and then forcing them to work for major companies.
The 13th Amendment, passed after the Civil War, banned slavery and involuntary servitude. But it made an exception for people convicted of a crime, offering legal cover for convict leasing.
Tennessee and many other states adopted similar language in their constitutions that still exists today.
WHAT WAS THE THE LONE ROCK STOCKADE?
The Lone Rock stockage operated in Tracy City, Tennessee for more than 25 years. The prisoners lived in cramped, unsanitary conditions. Built to hold 200 people at a time, the prison sometimes held 600.
The men risked their lives every day above ground too, manning fiery, dome-shaped coke ovens used in the iron-making process.
They were helping Tennessee, Coal, Iron and Railroad get rich. The company was an economic powerhouse, later bought by the world’s biggest company at the time: U.S. Steel Corporation.
HOW DID THE PRISON POPULATION CHANGE AFTER EMANCIPATION?
The racial makeup of prison populations changed almost overnight after the Civil War. In Tennessee, during slavery less than 5 percent of the prisoners were Black. In 1866, after emancipation, that number jumped to 52 percent. And by 1891 it had skyrocketed to 75 percent.
WHAT ARE BLACK CODES?
Black codes are laws passed by states that targeted African Americans for minor crimes such as vagrancy, jumping a ride on a train car or not having proof of employment.
In Tennessee, people were sentenced up to five years of hard labor in the coal mine for having interracial relationships.
WHAT DOES U.S. STEEL SAY NOW ABOUT THEIR USE OF CONVICT LEASING?
The United States Steel Corporation, also known as U.S. Steel, was founded by American business giants, which included J.P. Morgan and Andrew Carnegie. It has operations in the U.S. and Central Europe, and remains a leading steel producer.
The company used convict labor for at least five years in Alabama in the early 1900s, but has never spoken openly about this dark chapter of its history. It has misrepresented its use of prison labor and has not acknowledged the men who died in its mines.
After being contacted by the AP and Reveal reporters, the company agreed for the first time to sit down and talk with members of the affected community. U.S. Steel also confirmed it owns a cemetery located at the site of its former coal mine: “U. S. Steel does not condone the practices of a century ago,” it said in a statement. “Given the amount of time that has lapsed, we, unfortunately, do not have comprehensive records relative to this situation."
“We would be pleased to consider a memorial plaque should members of the affected community express an interest. We would also be happy to meet with them and discuss these topics.”
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This story was supported by Columbia University’s Ira A. Lipman Center for Journalism and Civil and Human Rights in conjunction with Arnold Ventures.

 

[Tair]

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Got rich off of forced Black labor now they are talking about they don't condone the practices of a 'century ago' and the best they can do is give a plaque.

Another reason I don't give a damn how it makes a person feel, we are owed reparations and nothing less than that.

They not about to play dumb anymore.

 

[saturn7]

Repeat but relevant

 

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By The People Media presents a brand new series: RARE - Religion and Reparations Elevation Power Hour! In this episode, we explore the Prosperity Gospel and how dangerous it is to the actual materialization of our reparations. Let us dive deep to explain how this doctrine compromises, derails, and sabotages reparations for Freedmen.

 

[saturn7]

Marines are known as the few and the proud, ready to take on any mission, but none faced the immense challenges that Frank Petersen did when he joined the U.S. Navy in 1950 and applied for a Marine Corps commission. After becoming the first African American Marine aviator, Petersen pioneered "first" in every aspect of his career throughout the Korean and Vietnam wars, culminating with his selection as the first African American Marine Corps General. Join us for the compelling story of General Petersen and the racial transformation of the Marine Corps.

General Petersen flew over 350 combat missions, survived being shot down in Vietnam.

 

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Philadelphia apologizes for experiments on Black inmates

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The city of Philadelphia issued an apology Thursday for the unethical medical experiments performed on mostly Black inmates at its Holmesburg Prison from the 1950s through the 1970s.

apnews.com

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The city of Philadelphia issued an apology Thursday for the unethical medical experiments performed on mostly Black inmates at its Holmesburg Prison from the 1950s through the 1970s.
The move comes after community activists and families of some of those inmates raised the need for a formal apology. It also follows a string of apologies from various U.S. cities over historically racist policies or wrongdoing in the wake of the nationwide racial reckoning after the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer.
The city allowed University of Pennsylvania researcher Dr. Albert Kligman to conduct the dermatological, biochemical and pharmaceutical experiments that intentionally exposed about 300 inmates to viruses, fungus, asbestos and chemical agents including dioxin — a component of Agent Orange. The vast majority of Kligman’s experiments were performed on Black men, many of whom were awaiting trial and trying to save money for bail, and many of whom were illiterate, the city said.
Kligman, who would go on to pioneer the acne and wrinkle treatment Retin-A, died in 2010. Many of the former inmates would have lifelong scars and health issues from the experiments. A group of the inmates filed a lawsuit against the university and Kligman in 2000 that was ultimately thrown out because of a statute of limitations.
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said in the apology that the experiments exploited a vulnerable population and the impact of that medical racism has extended for generations.
“Without excuse, we formally and officially extend a sincere apology to those who were subjected to this inhumane and horrific abuse. We are also sorry it took far too long to hear these words,” Kenney wrote.
Last year, the University of Pennsylvania issued a formal apology and took Kligman’s name off some honorifics like an annual lecture series and professorship. The university also directed research funds to fellows focused on dermatological issues in people of color.

 

[Ish Gibor]

Hopefully the ADOS "movement" can make a resurgence. And fully recover from the setback.

 

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A New Jersey bank has agreed to pay over $13 million to settle claims from the U.S. Department of Justice that the bank was not supplying loans to predominantly Black and Hispanic customers. The DOJ announced last week that it secured an agreement with Lakeland Bank to resolve allegations that the bank engaged in a pattern or practice of lending discrimination by “redlining” in some neighborhoods in the Newark metro area, based on a news release. The settlement is part of an extensive national effort by the DOJ to fight discriminatory lending practices and marks the third-largest redlining settlement in the department’s history. Redlining is banned, and it essentially includes lenders not offering credit services to individuals living in select communities and is based mainly on race, color, or national origin. Among other things, the federal court complaint alleges that all the bank’s branches were located in primarily white neighborhoods. The proposed consent order, subject to court approval in New Jersey, calls for Lakeland to take many actions. They include: “invest at least $12 million in a loan subsidy fund for residents of Black and Hispanic neighborhoods in the Newark area; $750,000 for advertising, outreach, and consumer education; and $400,000...

 

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[Skooby]

"Black and Hispanic".

A loan subsidy fund that's probably going to be based on income.

 

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"Black and Hispanic".

A loan subsidy fund that's probably going to be based on income.

There is always a catch

 

[saturn7]

THROWBACK