Differing opinions on reparations (Sept. 19, 2024)

Houston Matters

On Thursday's show: We get some updates on several stories happening in Fort Bend County, including Fort Bend ISD considering a formalized agreement with the nonprofit Friends of the Sugar Land 95 to access more funding for a memorial project, and a Sugar Land temple is increasing its security measures after backlash over a new religious statue.

Also this hour: Polls show Americans are still mostly opposed to the idea of financial reparations for the descendants of slaves. With that in mind, we hear two differing viewpoints on that subject. Former Houstonian Joel Edward Goza explains why he changed his thinking about reparations and now thinks they are necessary for the country to move forward. He outlines why in his new book, Rebirth of a Nation: Reparations and Remaking America. Then, Reginald Bell, a professor at Prairie View A&M University, explains why he thinks reparations are a bad idea, which he outlined in a 2020 academic paper.

Then, Texas Woman's University is the nation's largest university system focused primarily on women and touts an estimated 8,000 nursing alumni working in the Houston area today. We meet Dr. Monica Williams, the inaugural president of the TWU Houston campus, located in the Texas Medical Center.

And we remember Tito Jackson of the Jackson 5, who died Monday. We hear some of what he had to say during a 2022 interview on I See U. And then we talk with Houston Chronicle music writer Joey Guerra about the musician’s career and whether the Jackson 5’s place in music history has become muted in comparison to the solo careers of siblings Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson.