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L-R: James Lloyd; Alfred L. Brophy; Michele Roberts; Kimberly Ellis (at back); Johnnie Cochran; Randall Robinson; Charles J. Ogletree; Dennis Sweet; Adjoa Aiyetoro; Eric J. Miller; Sharon Cole; James O. Goodwin (far left).
Reparations Coordinating Committee Mission Statement
November 21, 2000
A reparations coordinating committee has been convened at TransAfrica Forum in Washington, D.C. to announce the following mission statement, and to accomplish the following objectives:
Mission
To ascertain, document, and report comparative repair and restitution in the United States and abroad on behalf of the contemporary victims of slavery and the century-long practice of de jure racial discrimination which followed slavery;
Objectives
A. To detail a range of feasible relief, reform, reconciliation, and restitution initiatives to make America better for everyone.
B. To identify and structure causes of action that would be cognizable in domestic and international tribunals and courts;
C. To begin a comprehensive review of such initiatives with leading domestic and international institutions;
D. And to work cooperatively with other groups pursuing reparation claims.
RCC Litigation Team Members:
Professor CHARLES J. OGLETREE, JR. is the Jesse Climenko Professor of Law and Associate Dean for the Clinical Programs at Harvard Law School. He is also the co-chair of the litigation committee, and has authored a number of articles on Reparations, including Litigating the Legacy of Slavery, N.Y. TIMES (March 31, 2002) §4 at 9; and The Case for Reparations, USA WEEKEND (August 16-18, 2002).
ADJOA AIYETORO, co-chair of the litigation committee, is a lawyer at the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America (N'COBRA). Adjoa has successfully obtained injunctive relief and damages from both federal and state governments for prisoners suffering unconstitutional conditions of confinement while in prison. Adjoa is also council for National Association of Black lawyers.
JOHNNIE COCHRAN rose to national prominence as lead counsel for the defense during the trial of O.J. Simpson. He has enjoyed significant legal success for over twenty years, and has long been an advocate for civil rights, filing dozens of lawsuits and winning tens of millions of dollars to compensate the victims of police brutality.
MICHELE A. ROBERTS is an outstanding trial lawyer specializing in complex civil and criminal litigation. In April, 2002, Washingtonian Magazine published a survey ranking the top 75 attorneys in Washington, DC. The Washingtonian placed Michele Roberts #1 labeling her "the finest pure trial lawyer in Washington --magic with juries, loved by judges, feared by opposing counsel."
DENNIS SWEET specializes in tort litigation and civil rights law. He was a successful criminal defense lawyer at the D.C. Public Defenders Office before moving into private practice. He won a $400 million judgment against American Home Products for injuries sustained through use of their Fen-Phen diet pill.
MICHAEL D. HAUSFELD is listed by Washingtonian Magazine as one of the top twelve litigators in Washington, specializing in antitrust, human rights, employment discrimination, environmental and consumer rights cases.
Professor ERIC J. MILLER is currently teaching at Western New England College Law School, and is formerly a Charles Hamilton Houston Fellow at Harvard Law School. He specializes in criminal law and civil rights law. His publications include Reconceiving Reparations: Multiple Strategies in the Reparations Debate, 24 B.C. THIRD WORLD L.J. 45 (2004).
Professor ALFRED L. BROPHY, teaches legal history at University of Alabama Law School and was a member of the Oklahoma Commission to Study the 1921 Tulsa Race Riot. His book, Reconstructing the Dreamland: The Tulsa Riot of 1921: Race, Reparations, and Reconciliation, published by Oxford University Press, (2002), is essential reading for anyone interested in the Riot.
Professor SUZETTE M. MALVEAUX teaches at University of Alabama School of Law, specializing in complex litigation, civil rights and public international law. Prior to academia, she litigated nationwide civil rights class actions for 8 years, and second-
chaired an oral argument before the United States Supreme Court.
ROSE SANDERS and J.L. CHESTNUT, both from Selma, Alabama, have successfully litigated a mumber of voting rights and civil rights cases, including the black farmers litigation against the Department of Agriculture which resulted in a $500 million settlement.
WILLIE GARY is based in Florida, and is general counsel to Jesse Jackson. He specializes in a variety of tort lawsuits, and has won significant victories in the areas of product liability, wrongful death, and mass torts.
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