For many Americans, the history of slavery feels distant, an injustice of the past. Yet, its legacy continues to haunt our present through stark racial inequities in wealth, health, and opportunity. This isn't a coincidence; it's a direct result of systems of oppression that were built and profited from by corporations that still exist today. It's time for these powerful, "artificial persons" to be held accountable. A Broken Promise and Corporate Complicity The first attempt at reparations in America was the promise of "40 acres and a mule". A federal order issued during the Civil War, it offered land to formerly enslaved people to help them achieve economic independence. But this promise was brutally short-lived. After President Lincoln’s assassination, the order was reversed, snatching away this opportunity and forcing millions into a cycle of poverty and exploitation. While the government betrayed this promise, major corporations were acti...