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• 1 media/Ari.jpg 2024-02-26T16:30:09+00:00 Activism for Black Veterans and Reparations 42 Ari Sesu Merretazon part 4 image_header 139 2026-01-25T22:57:47+00:00

  Part 4 Summary

  The final interview of the four-part interview series with Ari Susu Merretazon focuses on his advoacy for veterans in Philadelphia and his activism for reparations. He discusses a failed lawsuit against the City of Philadelphia over the lack of resources for veterans. Ari also discusses contemporary issues such as the removal of Confederate statues as well as his experiences during COVID-19. Finally, he highlights the need for reparations to the descendants of enslaved Africans in the United States and Black veterans who were denied veterans' benefits. 

  Acknowledgement 50 Years Later

  Ari was part of a recognition for his service in Vietnam, 50 years after the fact. He has deep-seated criticism for how American society treats veterans after they come home. This clip explores the difference in how soldiers killed in action are treated and how veterans are commemorated in the Vietnam War-era and today.
  

  "You got to acknowledge your veterans and you acknowledge them just because they survived and they fought this war."

  
  When Ari came home from Vietnam in1968, there were very few resources available to veterans, especially Black men with disabilities. In this clip, he reflects on what services he and other veterans needed at the time and how veterans should not have to fight their government for for social services that they earned.
  

  "They need a very strong outreach program that acknowledges veterans and their families and dependents, and they need to acknowledge them without having a veteran having to advocate."

  Commemorating Veterans - Not Wars

  There were very few parades for veterans when they came home from Vietnam. Today, many public officials celebrate veterans and commemorate their service, but a simple 'thank you for your service' cannot heal the wounds of war. Militaristic culture creates the appearance of supporting veterans without actually helping them through social services.
  

  "I support those types of ceremonial things, but I do not initiate any of that because that's not the most important thing for me. That's for the elected officials who want to put on a show for the public, that they're doing something."

  The Ongoing Fight for Veterans in Philadelphia

  "I want to go back to the 10-year struggle we had with veterans here in the city of Philadelphia. When I was looking for my war buddy Bobby Williams, who's in the same squad with me from Philadelphia, I couldn't find him. According to the law, the county of Philadelphia was required to have a veteran grave registration record where you find the names of veterans who had died and the funeral home and church where they may have funeralized at. Come to find out, Philadelphia never had one, and law was on books since 1939. . . . We engaged them. When I say we, I'm talking about Pointman Soldiers Heart Ministry, where James Abraham was the founding president, and I served as his chief of staff. We engaged the city of Philadelphia based on the history we became aware of -- Philadelphia is the only county out of 67 counties without one - never had a Office of Veterans Affairs or a Director of Veterans Affairs.
  
  The politics of the city, they fought it as opposed instead of just saying okay. Predecessors didn't do anything with the law. . . We were able to get a public hearing on that. We testified to the fact that the city was not practicing the law as required in respect to Veterans Affairs. First thing, having a Veterans Affairs office, having a Director of Veterans Affairs, they never was one of those types. We had a Veterans Advisory Commission. Nothing but politics because at some point during the Veteran's holiday, the city would be very embarrassed not to have anything in place for veterans. The president Daryl Clark, set up this thing called the Veterans Advisory Commission under his office. He's not a veteran. It's under his office. He kept everything very tight in his office, and we found out about it, and we just shook it loose.
  
  We filed a lawsuit. We went on appeal, and they had to establish an office of Veterans Affairs with a Director of Veterans Affairs. They did so shortly after we won the lawsuit. But since that time, now there's no longer a Director of Veterans Affairs in the city of Philadelphia. Right now, the Veterans Affairs is only identified by the name on the front of the door. As it stands now that since the last military veteran left, there's no one in their office that's been trained in terms of Veterans Affairs. I decided to look at what I'm going to do. I can't live my life chasing these folks. I don't have the resources to do that. Let me make that part of my book. That's what I'm doing now. I had to tell the story. I got all the facts. I got the receipts. I got the court case. I’m going to tell it."

  
  The Black Veterans Project and Reparations

  Around the time this interview was conducted, the Black Veterans Project was in the midst of a legal battle to obtain reparations for Black veterans who were denied veterans' benefits after the Second World War. Merretazon discusses the legal fight and speak on why it's still relevant today.

  "Reparations for Black veterans is clear to me. The level of sacrifice that we made, I would join any organization who will put forth Black veterans as part of their reparation process."

  Thoughts on American War

  "I don’t support war period today. I was 19 when I participated in it. Pretty much forced to go. That ordeal, unlike Muhammad Ali . . . I didn't have the resources to do that, and many, many others of us didn't have the resources. We had to accept the draft or go to jail. Most of us did probably the right thing at that time for us. Go into your term of military service, and I did honorably and with distinction and decorations.
  
  Higgins: In the past, particularly before Vietnam, Black people saw the military service as a path toward racial equality in the United States today. Has that changed in your mind? 
  
  Merretazon: No, it's still there, the avenue. Parents want the best for their children. They see a great opportunity to get a child experienced in life and go out and make them do something for themselves, and it seems that the military is a good way to go. I agree because we don't have those types of structures in our communities per se, in our specific community. If you live in a country, you pay in taxes, you have some obligations as a citizen, and one for any man or woman now, over 18, is the military you have option to do it. If you call upon, you must go, and you must report as the letter will say."

  Conclusion

  Merretazon has spent his entire adult life as an activist for civil rights, for veterans, and for reparations. His legacy is intertwined into the fabric of American history — part of the long Black freedom struggle and the ongoing fight for racial and economic justice. It is within this context that this story speaks truth to power. 

  This oral history collection sheds light into the shadowy world of the prison system and shows the remarkable transformation of a Vietnam veteran into a warrior for reparations. 

  Inherently, his life is the product of a nation that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. criticized as “the greatest purveyor of violence” in the world. When Dr. King spoke out against the Vietnam War, he made explicit the connections between “racism, extreme materialism, and militarism.” He warned, “America would never be free or saved from itself until the descendants of its slaves were loosed completely from the shackles they still wear.” Through perseverance and dedication to the cause, Merretazon has broken free from the interconnected manacles of war and mass incarceration.
  
  Now, a new generation has taken up the struggle, like Richard Brookshire. 

  
  Full Interview Part 4