Rapper T.I. Says Black People Have Waited Long Enough, Demands Plan For Reparations By Fall 2020 In Open Letter To Lloyd’s Of London
T.I. has seemingly become an activist and touch point during all the uprisings that have seemed to shift the trajectory of the world. The “You Don’t Know Me” rapper has found himself at not only the center of politics in Atlanta but also on social media, and it appears he’s taken it up a notch with his latest post.
The Southern hip-hop veteran has asked his followers and others to circle July 7th on their calendars, targeting that day for a unity effort to hit the pocketbooks of people all around the country in an economic “blackout” day. His initiative is to get every Black person in America to not spend any money on that day to illustrate the buying power of Black Americans.
According to the Multicultural Economy Report from the University of Georgia, minorities have over $3.9 trillion dollars of buying power in the United States. “The combined buying power of blacks, Asian-Americans and Native Americans is estimated to be $2.4 trillion, while the nation’s Hispanics command $1.5 trillion in spending power,” the report further states, breaking the numbers down even further.
“Blackout Day July 7, 2020,” is how T.I. started his post, with the rapper also including all minority races in his Instagram post for accuracy as well. T.I.’s ask of economic solidarity is one that has been called for before but with the state of things currently, it seems it has a higher chance of working. “We need one day of solidarity in America when not one black person in America spends a dollar.”
Showing that he has some understanding of history and the history of Black people around the world, T.I. is now taking to task another company that has admitted to their “shameful” role in the Trans-Atlantic slave trade – Lloyd’s of London, the insurance giant based in the United Kingdom.
Lloyd’s of London, in addition to Greene King, both have admitted important early figures in the company’s histories had enslaved people. They were also compensated for the freedom of the enslaved “after slavery was abolished in the British Empire in 1833,” according to the New York Times.
T.I. wrote an open letter to Lloyd’s of London on his own Instagram, claiming that their apology was “not enough.” “It has come to our attention that your company has built on the blood, sweat and tears of our ancestors. We have seen you apologize for your ‘shameful role’ in the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, but that simply is not enough.”
“We demand a specific call to action that includes, but is not limited to direct reparations be made to the families who were ripped from their native lands and sold as property while your company profited from the whole shameful endeavor.”
T.I. continued with a proposed plan for reparations and closed his letter by urging Lloyd’s to have a plan in place by autumn 2020. The rapper concluded: “We have waited long enough and our community deserves real action and much more than empty apologies or platitudes.”
See the full letter below.
This young man should educate himself before opening his mouth. He has the money!
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