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- Ever since the passing of the 13th amendment in the U.S., it has been proposed that not enough has been done to uplift the black community and repair the damage done to them from the practice of slavery. Numerous times, the Idea of reparations has been brought up, with no clear consensus ever being reached. Many claim that such an act is necessary due to the systematic oppression that the black race has witnessed over the years, while others still state that such a solution is not only unnecessary, but also impractical. To fully understand this issue, it is import to look at past injustices against black people in america, current issues impacting them today, and the difficulty of the implementation of reparations.
- The main issue that reparations aim to “fix” is the systematic oppression black people have received over the history of the United States. Despite popular belief, issues such as lynchings still existed at the turn of the 20th century. One particularly notable example is the Lynching of Sam Hose. During this event nearly 2,000 people gathered to see Sam Hose, a black man accused of rape and murder, burned, hung, and ripped apart. Many newspapers reported on this and other similar events as if they were nothing more than everyday occurrences. “The negro pleaded pitifully for his life while the mutilation was going on, but stood the ordeal of fire with surprising fortitude. Before the body was cool, it was cut to pieces, the bones were crushed into small bits and even the tree on which the wretch met his fate was torn up and disposed of as souvenirs.” (Indianapolis Journal, Volume 49, Number 114,Indianapolis, Marion County, 24 April 189) People who were given “justice” this way were often treated similar to this, their body parts being distributed and sold like that of a rare animal. Such was the opinion of the black man in the eyes of the typical southern man. What may be considered the worst part of this whole ordeal is the lack of charges brought down upon those participating in these events. Much to the contrary, it was treated much like a spectacle. “One special and two regular trains carried nearly 4,000 peoples to Newnan to witness the burning of Sam Hose.” (Indianapolis Journal) This was not all that that black people had to deal with in the era after reconstruction. Various other methods were used to oppress them, such as unfair tax and land ownership laws. “When Clyde Ross was still a child, Mississippi authorities claimed his father owed more than $3,000 in back taxes. Elder Ross could not read. He did not have a lawyer…. Effectively, the Ross family had no way to contest the claim.”(The Case For Reparations, Ta-Nehisi Coates, june 2014) These practices proved to be common, indirectly denying black people the same rights as many rights as many whites. Without the tools to get ahead in life, they were stuck in their place, unable to better their situation and leaving themselves open to further attacks. It is not unreasonable to state that this situation has directly affected many black families currently living in poverty. Would it not be just to implement reparations to right these many wrongs and allow these people to put themselves on even footing with whites?
- While it is true that the civil rights act of 1964 provided black people equal rights with whites, a form of inequality between races still exists. Many whites still believe that black people are inferior to them and treat them as such. Black people are often seen as outsiders in white communities by both adults and children. “When I was 3, my family moved into an upper middle class all-white neighborhood. We had a big backyard, so my parents built a pool. Not the only pool on the block, but the only one neighborhood boys started throwing rocks into.” (My White Friend Asked Me to Explain White Privilege. I Decided to Be Honest. Lori Lakin Hutcherson, 28th september, 2017.) Another example from the same person details a similar experience much later in life upon being accepted into Harvard. “Woman to the boy: ‘What college are you going to?’ Boy: ‘Princeton.’ Woman: ‘Congratulations!’ Woman to me: ‘Where are you sending your boxes?’ Me: “Harvard.’ Woman: ‘You mean the one in Massachusetts?’” Both of these examples highlight the double standard that still exists in many places in society. White people often assume less of black people, whether it be simply be kids purposely targeting a specific family, or a women assuming less of a person's ability due to her race. These social issues must be challenged and changed if society is to move forwards. Reparations provide the perfect opportunity for this, allowing both races to start off on equal footing, seeing how they aren’t so different after all.
- As Previously reiterated, reparations would provide a chance for atonement for both modern and past transgressions. The only questions that still remains is that of cost. Where will this money come from? How will it be distributed? “In the 1970’s, the Yale Law professor Boris Bittker argued in The Case for Black Reparations that a rough price tag for reparations could be determined by multiplying the number of African Americans in the population by the difference in white and black per capita income. That number $34 billion in 1973… could be added to a reparations program each year for a decade or two.” (The Case For Reparations, Ta-Nehisi Coates) This is where the entire argument for reparations begins to fall apart. $34 billion in 1973 dollars equates to a staggering $187.5 billion in modern dollars (the actual number is $187,448, 738,738.74). To pay such a number on a yearly basis would have a massive impact on the U.S. economy. Paying such an amount is simply not possible. However, “Perhaps no number can fully capture the multi-century plunder of black people in America. Perhaps the number is so large that it can’t be imagined, let alone calculated and dispensed. But I believe that wrestling publicly with these questions matters as much as—if not more than—the specific answers that might be produced. An America that asks what it owes its most vulnerable citizens is improved and humane.” (The Case For Reparations, Ta-Nehisi Coates) The important part about reparations is not the amount, but the actual act itself. Such an act would finally prove that the country has come to terms with its troubled past and is ready to face it head on.
- While the idea of reparations has been around for many years, it still has yet to come to fruition. Now, it is time to finally change that. Reparations would not only atone for past transgressions against black america, but it would also help to social issues that are still present today in the country. All of this would even come at a very miniscule price compared to what black people have had to stand and lose throughout the nation's long history.
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