History Happy Hour: Quantifying Reparations with Dr. Coleman Bazelon

Chattel slavery, practiced between the 16^th and 19^th centuries, was not just a moral atrocity: it was a global economic system that extracted labor, life, and liberty from millions of people to generate enormous wealth for others. Public conversation about reparations for slavery (measures to repair its lasting harms) began centuries ago and continue today. 

Dr. Coleman Bazelon approaches the question of reparations from an economic lens. Through his research, he has attempted to approximate the total scale of harm inflicted by the practice of chattel slavery, and to quantify it in contemporary economic terms. 

Join Dr. Bazelon for a presentation exploring what it means to quantify injustice: How do we measure centuries of stolen life and labor? What role does economic analysis play in contemporary conversation about reparations? And how might quantification inform policy discussions in the United States and beyond? 

Dr. Coleman Bazelon is an economic expert and principal at The Brattle Group, as well as a board member of the ACLU and ACLU-MD, and a passionate advocate for social justice. He is a recognized expert in the field of telecommunications economics, frequently testifying before Congress, federal and state courts, regulatory bodies, and domestic and international arbitration panels. Dr. Bazelon is also expert in Intellectual Property valuation and public interest analyses and he serves as an economist for the Major League Baseball Players Association. 

History Happy Hour is a monthly evening program featuring presentations by historians, authors, and subject-matter experts on a wide variety of historical and cultural topics. Light refreshments will be served, including complementary wine (two drink maximum per guest). VIP tables will have reserved seating for four, refreshments, and sparkling water.