Questions & Answers

Below are answers to each of the questions we have received through different modalities about how research will take place, how the community will be included, the relationship between the project and possible state agency or political influences, and what may or may not be included in the final report. Questions from March 13 Webinar are included below.

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Question: Can you discuss the ways you all will engage the community in this project?
Answer: We have various ways we will engage the community, including a community reparations survey, listening sessions, townhalls, monthly informational sessions, social media, mailing list, and a consistent presence at community events across the state. Please click here to share your interest in engaging with the project.  
 

Question: Who is expected to fill out the community survey — Anyone in Washington? Or people who would potentially benefit from suggested reparative policies?
Answer: Under the guidance of CAAA, we are defining the “community of focus” as Washington State residents who are likely to be descendants of enslaved African people in the U.S. We encourage any Washington State resident who believes there is a possibility that they are a descendant of enslaved African people in the U.S. to complete the survey.

Question: What steps will you take to ensure you actively engaging Washingtonians to ensure their feedback is not only collected but respected in the process?
Answer: We will take several intentional measures to ensure that Washingtonians are not only actively engaged, but that their insights are respected throughout the process. First, we will provide multiple modalities for engagement so community members can participate in ways that are accessible to them. This includes opportunities to share insights through surveys, listening sessions, town halls, etc. We have also hired a community engagement specialist whose sole role is to serve the community, remain accessible, gather community insight, and respond to questions.
   Once feedback is collected, our research team will systematically analyze the data. Our policy and valuation teams will then use these insights (along with historical data, existing literature, established methodologies, and relevant theory) to inform the development of policy recommendations.
   Finally, transparency is of utmost importance. We will regularly communicate with the community through listening sessions, town halls, and informational meetings where we will share what we heard, provide project updates, and present drafts of our recommendations to seek further feedback. Through this ongoing engagement, we aim to explain what we learned from the community, how that feedback is being incorporated, and what decisions emerge as a result. Ultimately, it is our priority to ensure that Washingtonians know their voices are valued and respected, and that their input is meaningfully shaping this work.
 

Question: Will you ensure that descendants of persons enslaved are prioritized throughout this process?
Answer: Yes. 100%. Descendants of  US enslaved persons are the center of this work, and that includes coveting their emotional wellbeing throughout the project. We bring trauma-informed practices to every stage of the process to ensure that every participant feels supported, not just processed. 
 

Question: Are there plans to do outreach in Eastern Washington specifically Pasco WA
Answer: Yes! If you would like to be a part of that work, or outreach work in any part of the state, please email Ariel Davis, MPA.

 

Question: Will there be an opportunity in this process for community members to have their lineage traced?
Answer: Yes, we will trace the lineage of a sample of community members statewide and provide tools to help others learn how to do so for themselves.
 

Question: What opportunities will Truclusion plan for reparations strategists/ advocates? How are you planning to address community members and stakeholders who don't have trust in the process so we can move forward in a generative way? How are you anticipating engaging WA residents who are Pan Africanists?
Answer: We approach this work with an understanding that the knowledge, leadership, and advocacy around reparations already exists within Washington State communities. Our goal through this engagement process is to create meaningful opportunities for that expertise to inform the work while also making space for honest dialogue about the process itself.
   There are several ways that reparations strategists and advocates can engage in this process. One key opportunity is the Community Reparations Advisory Panel, which will work alongside the Policy & Valuation Team as research and recommendations are developed (indicate interest here). We are encouraging individuals with experience in reparations policy, advocacy, organizing, and research to apply. In addition, we plan to convene strategy conversations, roundtables, and focused dialogues with advocates so their insights, especially lessons from other local and national reparations efforts, can help inform the broader engagement process.
   We want to acknowledge that there are many community members and stakeholders who do not fully trust processes like this, and that skepticism is understandable. It is important that this process centers transparency and consistent communication. Our approach is to be clear about what this study can and cannot do, how community input will be incorporated, and where the boundaries of the research process are. 

 

Question: What is Truclusion’s goal for this project?
Answer: Our goal is to produce rigorous, data informed recommendations that are grounded in rigorous research that can ultimately inform reparations policy in Washington.
   Next, the Legislature has asked us to research local recorded and unrecorded histories dating back to 1848, ensuring a comprehensive and accurate foundation for this work. 
   Equally important, we aim to build authentic community support through transparent, consistent engagement that centers trust and meaningful participation across the state.
 

Question: Will Truclusion provide legislative recommendations that are beyond a mere idea or suggestion? (i.e. legislative recommendations that are fleshed out rather than being abstract in nature?)
Answer: Truclusion is tasked with evaluative research and making recommendations. As per the scope outlined to us by Washington State’s CAAA, we are tasked with providing recommendations for repair. The way our work is structured means that outside of providing recommendations, we are ultimately not responsible for the passage or advocacy of our recommendations to the legislature. This is why it is vastly important for the descendants community and ALL allies to show up with us throughout this process.

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Question: Could you define who the 'victims' of US Chattel Slavery will be?
Answer: This will be part of the work, and will be defined in a Washington-specific way based on the conducted research. 

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Question: How will the study ensure its recommendations align with the legal and fiscal authorities of the Washington legislature so that the final report can translate into implementable policy rather than purely advisory proposals?
Answer: Truclusion’s role is to produce rigorous, research based recommendations, but the realization of reparations policy in Washington will ultimately depend on political will. As researchers, we cannot determine what the legislature will enact; we can only ensure that our recommendations are grounded in strong analysis and an understanding of Washington’s policy landscape. To support that, Truclusion will engage with elected officials and relevant state agencies throughout the process, so we are aware of legal authorities, fiscal considerations, and the practical realities of the legislative and budget process. This helps ensure the recommendations are informed by how policy is actually implemented in our state. 
   Our community engagement team will partner with grassroots organizations to equip advocates with the research and tools needed to strengthen their case and address legislative questions around feasibility. However, the passage of reparations in Washington will depend on sustained political advocacy beyond the scope of the research. 

 

Question: Who holds final editorial authority over the final report and recommendation?
Answer: Our team holds the final editorial authority. No Washington State employees or Legislators have any authority over the report contents. (Some state employees will assist in guiding the report structure and layout, to ensure it meets state reporting requirements, but they will not be creating any content.)

 

Question: Is there a specific date for when meetings will be posted on your website.

Answer: As events and opportunities for engagement that support the research arise we will post them on our website. We want to add that Truclusion is a private research firm hired by the State of Washington to conduct this research. We are not a public commission or body and consequently are not holding public meetings per se, and are not held to the Open Public Meetings Act.  We do plan to holding a monthly update/informational calls where we can share project updates.

 

Question: Could you please also publish the workplan?

Answer: Yes, our workplan will be made publicly available.

 

Question: What’s the difference between Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and reparations?

Answer: The principles of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are grounded in frameworks and strategies designed to increase the presence and empowerment of underrepresented groups, facilitate a sense of belonging, and address systemic barriers by providing access. In contrast, reparations are programs of repair for a specific injured community that relies on narrowly tailoring the repair to those that have experienced the harm, including the intergenerational harm.

 

​Question: Are you looking into lineage or race based repair?
Answer: As outlined by CAAA, we are looking into lineage based repair and will make suggestions for harms that have been experienced by victims of United States chattel slavery and their descendants. We will also investigate more recent harm areas and explore how those more recent harms have impacted Black people generally, but our work is to provide recommendations for descendants.

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Question: Is cash payment going to be a major part of the recommendation?
Answer: Understanding financial and fiscal feasibility, the research team will determine all recommendations through a rigorous research process that includes the voice of what the descendant community will accept as compensation for the harms they've experienced.

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Question: Are the study’s team members Washingtonians?
Answer: There are several members of the team who identify as Washingtonians, and the majority of project leadership on this study identify as Descendants of US Chattel Slavery. 

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Question: Have you guys contacted [name]?
Answer: Thank you for the suggestion! We happily receive all recommendations for people with whom we can speak with and suggestions of areas of research to pursue. In addition to the nationally recognized reparations experts on our team, we have invited several other experts to join us in this work.

 

​Question: Do you already know of enslavement history in Washington? Or are you "learning as you go?”
Answer: Yes, to both!  Our team of scholars and experts come into this work aware of some specific accounts of slavery that occurred in the region that became Washington State. Identifying enslavement history is part of the work the state has tasked us with. Particularly, our team will conduct a rigorous study on enslavement history in Washington, diving deep into historical and archival research. If you have information, accounts, or stories to share, we would love to hear from you as these insights can contribute to our methodological approach.  

 

​Question: Could you please provide any of the 'peer reviewed' studies that Truclusion has already conducted on reparations so that the community could review and analyze for potential outcomes of the WA state study?
Answer: Below are some of the peer-reviewed studies Marvin Slaughter and Dr. Craemer have published in academic journals. We do believe the community might also find relevant to potential outcomes to this project, similar statewide reparations studies that were not peer-reviewed, such as reparations studies for descendants of American slavery conducted by California, Illinois, and New York–all three state studies having at least one member of Truclusion’s reparations Policy and Valuation team contribute to the study (Marvin Slaughter served as Chair of the Illinois reparations commission and Dr. Craemer served as Chair of the New York reparations subcommittee).
And since you specifically asked about peer-reviewed studies on reparations…

Craemer, T. (2024). Implicit Black Identification among White non-Hispanic Respondents and Support for Black Reparations. Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 40, 657–671. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxrep/grae024.

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Darity, W., Craemer, T., Ramey Berry, D., & Francis, D. V. (2024). Black Reparations in the United States, 2024: An Introduction. RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences, 10(2), 1–28. https://www.jstor.org/stable/48775323.

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Craemer, T. (2023). Forensic Analysis of Reparations to Africa for Depredations Under European Colonialism. In Richard F. America (ed.), Accounting for Colonialism. Measuring Unjust Enrichment and Damages in Africa, Chapter 13 (pp. 253-293), Palgrave Macmillan / Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-32804-6_13

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Darity, William & Mullen, Andrea & Slaughter, Marvin. (2022). The Cumulative Costs of Racism and the Bill for Black Reparations. Journal of Economic Perspectives. 36. 99-122.

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Craemer, T., Smith, T., Harrison, B., Logan, T., Bellamy, W., and Darity, W. (2020). Wealth Implications of Slavery and Racial Discrimination for African American Descendants of the Enslaved. Review of Black Political Economy, 47(3), 218-254. Updated and reprinted in Darity, W. A., Mullen, A. K., & Hubbard, L. (eds.): The Black Reparations Project. University of California Press.

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Craemer, T. (2019). Comparative Analysis of Reparations for the Holocaust and for the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Review of Black Political Economy, 45(4), 299-324. https://doi.org/10.1177/0034644619836263

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Craemer, T. (2018). International Reparations for Slavery and the Slave Trade. Journal of Black Studies, 49(7): 694-713.

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Craemer, T. (2015). Estimating Slavery Reparations: Present Value Comparisons of Historical Multigenerational Reparations Policies. Social Science Quarterly, 96(2): 639-655.

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Craemer, T. (2014). Implicit Closeness to Blacks, Support for Affirmative Action, Slavery Reparations, and Vote Intentions for Barack Obama in the 2008 Elections. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 36: 413-424.

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Question: Dr. Cramer did you learn anything from your experience with California? If so, how will this reflect here?
Answer: “I learned that small disagreements in the reparations movement (for example regarding eligibility) can get very contentious. The resulting acrimony can be a gift to reparations opponents. I hope that our strong community research plan in Washington State will conclude in a more unified community consensus.” - Dr. Craemer 

 

​Question: Which census will be the defining one for descendants of US chattel slavery? 1870?
Answer: Answering questions like this is the study’s purpose, and can be answered at the conclusion of the work.

 

​Question: Has the team considered identity deprivation, the systematic loss of lineage, cultural identity, and historical continuity, as a category of harm alongside economic and policy harms?
Answer: The expectation is to explore all areas of harm alongside the descendant community. While we are in the initial stages of data collection, data cataloging, and data cleaning we will take initial looks into a multitude of areas of harm but ultimately will only be able to make the most rigorous claims about areas with the data available to support it.

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