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| No | 74% | 1389 votes | Total: 1884 votes | |
| Yes | 26% | 495 votes |
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Add to FavoritesWhy should America give me, a descendant of slaves, monetary restitution for something I did not experience? I was not a slave. That restitution should have been given to those who were actually slaves. But as we all know, that didn't happen. Instead, even after our ancestors were freed, they continued to fight and struggle to gain equal footing in the nation. What the United States government should do is use that restitution and improve the value of schools in inner-city and rural areas of America, in order for African-Americans and other minority groups can receive an equal and fair education. Education and opportunity is the only real restitution that any of us can benefit.
Poverty makes man do the strangest things. It also makes man perceive that any little slight, entitles them to some monetary reward. The American Indian, if anyone, should be the ones demanding the shirt off the United States governments back. They were killed, starved, and moved out of their lands for the benefit of creating this nation. If anyone should be angry and screaming for restitution it should be them.
But what was done to slaves in this country cannot be mended by the Ole' Mighty Dollar. Our ancestors were taken from their native lands, sold like cattle. They were denied the right to education, rights, basic freedoms established in the U.S. Constitution. How do you put a dollar amount on that? How do you tell someone how much their pain and suffering was worth; especially when they are not longer with us? You can't. The problem in this country is we want to throw money at any problem that arises. But money cannot heal the wounds that were caused by slavery.
True improvement in the areas of economic equality (investment in businesses and commerce in impoverished areas), education, and housing are more empowering to a people than just simply handing out a handful of money. When you invest in educating people, you provide them with the tools to be successful. You provide them with opportunities that will allow for a better car, neighborhood, house, business. Education is key to economic growth and success.
In this country, education has fallen behind. As a whole, we can't compete with the rest of the world. But if we took the time to invest in the education of our children; we would provide for them a better way to become economically stable and competitive.
Restitut ion is not the answer, because it does not address what is really wrong with our community. There are other ways for our government to pay our ancestors back, and that is taking care of fixing the problems of today, insuring stability for our children's future.
Learn more about this author, Tanilan Prescott.
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Yes
Historically government and big business has gone hand in hand commencing with the rise of American slavery. Slavery is a topic most shun but I think it's a perfect opportunity to provide insight into the past so we can better understand what's happening today with the economy from an African American standpoint.
This rubs me the wrong way on two fronts. One, the American people are being screwed to the wall. Two, being an African American big government and big business reminds me of a wrong that's yet corrected and that's the issue of whether reparations should be the descendants of those who built this country.
I emphatically say yes. Government needs to pay up.
First, we must acknowledge slavery did happen. This country still suffers from the effects of slavery. But, like racism, no constructive collective dialogue has taken place to put the scars of slavery in its proper historical context.
The first slaves arrived in Jamestown, Virginia in 1619 as indentured servants but by the 1640's the institution intensified to full-blown bondage. Slaves weren't considered human beings with rights-they were considered sub-human and were treated as such.
The preeminent factor regarding slavery wasn't race as, it was economics. White oppressors saw an opportunity to take advantage of forcing servitude on African slaves. The latter allowed the institution to thrive economically at expense of innocent people.
Slaves weren't paid a dime for centuries of service. Mind you, there were no 401K's, mutual funds, or IRA's. Slaves worked from sun up to sun down to fill the pockets of their self-anointed masters.
Can you imagine working for an entire year and have your earnings revert back to your employer instead of your pocket? The latter would ensure your family would suffer. Now, imagine this system being in place for four centuries.
This country's economic base was built on free African labor that was sanctioned by the government. When the economics of slavery was threatened the government instituted legislation to ensure slavery would pervade. Government and plantation owners have amassed wealth and kept to themselves without giving back anything they essentially stole monetarily.
This should sound familiar because the same thing is happening right before our eyes but it's involving everyone and not just African Americans.
The monies amassed by plantation owners were kept in the family and handed down to future generations with government support. I think African Americans have a human, moral and legal right to collect monies owed to our forefathers who were forced to work for free.
How do African Americans get paid?
I think suing the government would be practical. Taking the United States government to the world court of the United Nations is the way to go. Taking the case to the Supreme Court would be merely taking your case to the government's predecessors.
In short, you don't take your case to the criminal-you take your criminal to court.
How would the funds be allocated?
Former President Bush provided some Americans a few crumbs via stimulus checks and the current President Obama has authorized billions to be paid to big businesses. In essence, the money and the means to distribute the funds are already in place. We just have to arrive at a number that's fair and have the government begin paying what's owed.
The notion of reparations may seem outlandish but it makes sense to me. Slavery was the most notorious crime ever committed. Murder, rape, kidnapping, assault, battery, are among the many laws broken. Yet no one has served a day in jail or paid a fine for their collective wrong-doings for over four hundred years.
Here are some historical precedents of those who received reparations:
*In March of 1953 the West Germans signed a treaty with Israel that acknowledged the persecution and enslavement of Jews during the Holocaust. Jews were compensated for the property that was stolen from them by the Nazis.
*Under the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 President Ronald Reagan apologized to the Japanese Americans internment during World War II. He also provided reparations of $20,000 to each survivor to compensate for loss of property and liberty during the war.
*Native American tribes over time have received compensation for lands ceded to them by the United States by various treaties.
As you can see others have gotten paid reparations, why shouldn't African Americans?
Today everyone in America except big business and government are being pimped with systematic precision-but African Americans have been pimped from the beginning with the rise of American slavery.
The precedent was set by the Founding Fathers that allowed institutionalized slavery to thrive. Obviously the Founding Fathers can't pay up but their predecessors can.
Without question the time has come to begin to correct a wrong that certainly wasn't right.
Learn more about this author, Dexter Rogers.
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