Reparations for Black Americans Now

In 1988, the United States passed legislation called the Civil Liberties Act. This law stated the “grave injustice” that had been done to Japanese Americans during World War II. In addition to a formal apology by the U.S. Government, $20,000 (roughly $44,000 today) was allocated to all those who had been interned and were still alive at the time. 

Actor George Takei was one of those individuals. 

“I was 5 years old at the time.

“It was a terrorizing morning I will never be able to forget. Literally, at gunpoint, we were ordered out of our home.” 

In 1942, Executive Order 9066 commanded that any and all Japenese-American citizens, regardless of how many generations they had lived in the United States, be interned in a concentration camp. 

“For us, it was four horrific years.

“For African-Americans, it’s four torturous centuries.” 

The first attempt at reparations for Black Americans was known as “40 Acres and a Mule.” That attempt was eventually scrapped once Andrew Johnson took office.

Since then, there have been scant attempts at reparations for Black Americans by the United States Government. 

It’s time that reparations for Black Americans be awarded. Now. 

Why Haven’t There Been Proper Reparations for Black Americans?

It’s 400 years of atrocities. Slavery, Jim Crow, redlining, voter suppression, aggressive policing, minstrel shows, and much, much more. 

Other minority and marginalized groups have received some form of reparations from the U.S. Government. According to a 2020 paper by Rashawn Ray and Andre Perry:

“Native Americans have received land and billions of dollars for various benefits and programs for being forcibly exiled from their native lands. 

“For Japanese Americans, $1.5 billion was paid to those who were interned during World War II. 

“Additionally, the United States, via the Marshall Plan, helped to ensure that Jews received reparations for the Holocaust, including making various investments over time. 

“In 1952, West Germany agreed to pay 3.45 billion Deutsche Marks to Holocaust survivors.

“Black Americans are the only group that has not received reparations for state-sanctioned racial discrimination, while slavery afforded some white families the ability to accrue tremendous wealth.”

When Black Americans Create Their Own Wealth, It’s Stripped From Them. Sometimes Violently.

Look no further than the Tulsa Massacre for a clear example of this. It’s hard to comprehend why white Americans cannot handle the idea of an independently wealthy Black American. 

A Black American who has had opportunity stripped away from them based on their race should qualify for damages and have that wrong righted – no matter how recent or long ago it may have been. 

How Do We Determine Who Receives Reparations? 

We can determine the descendants of enslaved Africans by DNA testing, census information, and birth records are good places to start. 

For example, Senator Cory Booker did DNA testing and determined that his lineage stemmed from Sierra Leone. 

Michelle, Sasha, and Malia Obama would qualify for certain reparations because they descend from enslaved Africans. Barack Obama, the son of a Kenyan immigrant and white mother, would not. 

It won’t be easy to determine who or how many Black Americans will receive reparations but it is absolutely worth the effort. Not just because it will be a critical step towards healing America’s festering wound but because it’s the right thing to do. 

The National African-American Reparations Commission (NAARC) has been working since 2015 on accomplishing the goal of reparations for Black Americans. 

There is also HR-40, which would establish a Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans. The commission would examine slavery and discrimination in the colonies and the U.S. from 1619 to the present and recommend appropriate remedies. 
We have to at least try. Black Americans deserve reparations for all the everything White America has put them through.