America ReFramed

Nyvae, a boy waiting for his father's return from prison, writes down his hopes and dreams for their life together even after time lost. His aunt, Kristal Bush, has been caring for her nephew and supporting Nyvae's father and her brother, Jarvae, since his incarceration. There's a lot of love but also challenges when a young boy is becoming a young man and in need of a parental figure in his life.

After watching nearly every man in her life disappear into prison, Kristal Bush channels her struggle into reuniting other Philadelphia families divided by incarceration. But when her father and brother come home after decades behind bars, she confronts the greatest challenge yet - can she unite her own family without losing herself?

Crystal Speaks and her daughter, Kristal Bush, are the women on the outside. As the mother of two incarcerated sons, Crystal does what she can for them including spending the money she makes, plus hours on the road, to visit them. The two women remain strong through the sentences of the brothers and Kristal's father but it has taken its toll on their physical, mental and emotional health.

On the way to driving women and children for a family visit at a prison, Kristal Bush shares her first time of going to see her incarcerated father. Bush's memories are both vivid and "blurry" but paint a picture of a difficult childhood without her father.

Jarvae Scott, who is working with horses in the city of Philadelphia, talks about the lure of returning to prison after having served many years. Jarvae recognizes the support given by his mother, Crystal, and his sister, Kristal, who is caring for his son Nyvae, and wants to stay on the outside but knows his time may be limited as he understands that there are major influences on the streets.

Beginning in the 1800s, the reparations movement started with Mrs. Callie House, who led the National Ex-Slave Mutual Relief, Bounty and Pension Association. Historian Mary Frances Berry tells of House's efforts to organize Black Americans to ask for compensation from the government and the backlash against her that would not slow the activist down until her death.

THE COST OF INHERITANCE, an America ReFramed special, explores the complex issue of reparations in the U.S. using a thoughtful approach to history, historical injustices, systemic inequities, and critical dialogue on racial conciliation. Through personal narratives, community inquiries, and scholarly insights, it aims to inspire understanding of the scope and rationale of the reparations debate.

Through her ancestry, the harm they created in slavery, and the privilege it has granted her, Lotte Lieb Dula found Briayna Cuffie in her work on reparations. The two work together to tell their own stories and teach Americans about what they can do to repair their history. What they also share is the wealth gap between Black and white Americans that began with slavery and continues today.

In 2019, Sarah Eisner discovered acres of land that her ancestor, George Adam Keller, granted to enslaved Zeke Quarterman in the 1800s. But the title of ownership was never legally given. Eisner connected with Quarterman's descendant, Randy, who at first doubted the proposition, and they are now working together to right history's wrongs.

For the GU 272 Descendants Association, the sale of each of their ancestors as slaves is personal. They gathered together to confront the ugly truth, including meeting with the Maryland Province Jesuits and Georgetown University, who were involved in this history, and explaining why they deserve representation in conversations like Georgetown's Slavery, Memory, and Reconciliation Working Group.

THE COST OF INHERITANCE, an America ReFramed special, explores the complex issue of reparations in the U.S. using a thoughtful approach to history, historical injustices, systemic inequities, and critical dialogue on racial conciliation. Through personal narratives, community inquiries, and scholarly insights, it aims to inspire understanding of the scope and rationale of the reparations debate.

As a teen, Alaudin Ullah was swept up by the energy of hip-hop and rebelled against his Bangladeshi roots. Now a playwright contending with post-9/11 Hollywood’s Islamophobia, he sets out to tell his parents’ stories. IN SEARCH OF BENGALI HARLEM tracks his quest from mid-20th-century Harlem to Bangladesh, unveiling intertwined histories of South Asian Muslims, African Americans, and Puerto Ricans.