The Master's Tools, from the Bottom Up: Responses to African-American Reparations Theory in Mainstream and Outsider Remedies Discourse

Abstract

This Note posits a Critical Race Theory (CRT) analysis of the historical legal responses to reparations claims on the part of groups, using the African-American claims as an example. The article then discusses racial remedies theories, suggesting that the prevailing theories must be expanded to provide support for reparations. Following a review of contemporary and historical proposals for reparations, the author argues that reparations merit a prominent place within remedies theory, and echoes central tenets of CRT in explaining why they have not to date.

Keywords: critical race theory, race, reparations, remedies