THE BLACK TAX | A Busboys and Poets Books Presentation

American taxation is unfair, and it is most unfair to the very people who critically need its support. Not only do taxpayers with fewer resources—less wealth, power, and land—pay more than the well-off, but they are forced to fight for their rights within an unjust system that undermines any attempts to improve their position or economic standing. In THE BLACK TAX, Andrew W. Kahrl reveals the shocking history and ruinous consequences of inequitable and predatory tax laws in this country—above all, widespread and devastating racial dispossession.

Throughout the twentieth century, African Americans acquired substantial amounts of property nationwide. But racist practices, obscure processes, and outright theft diminished their holdings and their power. Of these, Kahrl shows, few were more powerful, or more quietly destructive, than property taxes. He examines all the structural features and hidden traps within America’s tax system that have forced Black Americans to pay more for less and stripped them of their land and investments, and he reveals the staggering cost.

Andrew W. Kahrl is joining us on the Busboys stage alongside author and professor Marcia Chatelain to share about the extreme economic disadvantages and persistent racial inequalities that African American households continue to face due to 150 years of theft, exploitation, and dispossession. Copies of the book will be available for purchase during and after the event, and Kahrl will be signing following the program.

This event is free and open to all. Our program begins at 6:00 pm, and will be followed by an audience Q&A. Copies of THE BLACK TAX will be available for purchase before and after the event. Please note that this event is in person and will not be livestreamed.

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Andrew W. Kahrl is professor of history and African American studies at the University of Virginia. He is the author of the books The Land Was Ours and Free the Beaches.

Marcia Chatelain is the Presidential Penn Compact Professor of Africana Studies at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. She is the author of Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America. She lives in Washington, D.C.

Host or Publisher Busboys and Poets