Coakley was already a free businessman selling oysters. At the beginning of the 1850s, he bought the freedom of his sister, his wife, and their six children. This wasn’t unusual.
Many Black people purchased their family members’ freedom but didn’t bother with the long and expensive process of getting their status changed legally. Because of this, many free Black people, like Coakley’s family, were technically still enslaved. So, Coakley could use enslaved status to his advantage.
In 1862, more than 900 enslavers in Washington, D.C., were paid reparations to compensate them for the immediate emancipation of more than 3,000 enslaved people. Coakley saw an opportunity there.
Coakley petitioned for reparations, claiming he owned his family members after buying their freedom but not changing their legal status. So as a de facto slave owner, Coakley received $1489.20 (about $170,000 today).
Gabriel Coakley outsmarted the system to get reparations that were denied to Black people. Remember, the system always finds ways to exploit us and avoid accountability. So it’s our job to get justice how we must.