How is my story a part of American history? This panel shares the journey of the fight for reparations and the power of representation in the movement. This discussion will celebrate a variety of organizing styles including Black radicalism, Indigenous movement building, and diplomatic networking. Hear from leaders in local reparations movements including Aziza Robinson-Goodnight, Tammy Tai, Mea Johnson, April Innis, and Saskia VannJames.
Declaration Reclamation is presented in collaboration with The Network of Arts Administrators of Color (ArtsBoston).
Support for Declaration Reclamation is provided by Mass Humanities, which receives support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and is an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
About Tammy Tai
Tammy Tai is the former Deputy Director of King Boston, a program of the Boston Foundation working closely with the City of Boston to create a living memorial and programs honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King, and their time and work together in Boston. Tai brings over two decades of experience in the non-profit sector, with expertise in youth development and mentoring, leadership development, and racial equity.
About Aziza Robinson-Goodnight
An avid artist, activist, entrepreneur, and community organizer, Aziza Robinson-Goodnight is a woman committed to shaping, reenergizing, and creating systemic, sustainable changes in her native Boston and beyond.
About Mea Johnson
Mea Johnson has been a community and cultural organizer in the Boston area for over 17 years. She has worked with parents and families, fighting for better access to quality and accessible childcare; with transit riders, fighting for a more affordable and equitable public transit system; with cultural leaders in the Black community, fighting for more police accountability; and with the Indigenous community, fighting for land sovereignty both locally and nationally.
About April Innis
April Innis is the Director of Community Engaged Research at King Boston. She has a background as a pediatrician and mixed methods researcher. Her research background includes work in both academia and industry, and consists of projects that examined racial and ethnic health disparities, and that explored the impact of media exposures on adult and child health. For five years, she was the Director of Research & Evaluation at The Message, a Boston-based, youth-facing media literacy startup, and she has extensive experience as a freelance research analyst at other companies and organizations.
About Saskia VannJames
Saskia VannJames is a Black queer woman pushing for liberation in solidarity with the people across Massachusetts. Saskia works as racial and health equity lobbyist, educator, and board member at Massachusetts Recreational Consumer Council. As a racial justice and health equity advocate, Saskia’s political advocacy includes successfully advocating for a priority period for cannabis social equity applicants, grants and loan forgiveness language included in a state cannabis social equity fund bill, municipal-based policies for a reparations fund from transatlantic slave trade, a restitution fund to address racial inequities from War on Drugs, and Racial Justice & Equity commission. Saskia’s work also involves creating and building as an artist, writer, bike mechanic, active transit advocate, cooperative educator, and cofounder of Ride for Black Lives Boston.
