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Anti-Reparations
Since the first landing of African slaves in America, African-Americans have been unfairly treated by American Society. Even though the institution of slavery was abolished throughout the United States, harsh treatments are still evident today in America’s cultures and politics. This is evident through the education systems, prison systems, massive destruction of ‘African-American’s wealth through redlining policies, and increased employment restriction. Considering the above transgression, the U.S has denied the African-Americans a chance to realize their freedom. The United States stole over 240years of dehumanizing African Americans through harsh labor. The U.S has had any intention of reparation on Africans, which has been challenged a great deal.
Being something more than ineffective, reparation for slaves and slavery evident in the United States will betray the American idea of personal responsibility. People need to be punished for mistakes they made but not for those of others. None is responsible for the mistakes of their ancestors. Though abolition of slavery was a success over 150 years ago, the reparations advocates have insisted on punishing Americans for the crimes they were not aware of. This makes reparation so unfair, unjust, and ineffective. It will alternatively lead to a failure in solving the challenges African-Americans are facing today (Frith, and Joyce 1-8).
Only a small number of Americans respected and owned slaves. This is evident even among those who lived in the Southern region, which was dominated by slaves. Only a few White Americans owned slaves. Therefore it is not logical for their descendants to pay their debts. This makes it wise of anti-Reparation since some Americans lost their lives in the fight against slavery. It will be of no moral to ask everyone, including the innocent, to pay for the debt they didn’t incur.
Furthermore, reparation will not offer a solution to the problems that African-Americans and blacks are currently facing. In this case, blacks should take responsibility for their future and concentrate on enhancing their achievements. There is no way Americans can right the wrongs they did during the slave trade times. The forced labor that African-Americans suffered could be reversed. Blacks will never win the attention nor even credit for their claims of racial equity in America. The reparation claim sends a damaging message to the whole community of African-Americans. Hence more of turning them into victims. This is, therefore, not a helpful message to the black leaders. Focusing on things that were done a hundred and fifty years to the African-Americans is only a way of making them a victimhood.
According to Cullors, presently America is a diverse nation, with most of its people having no connection to slavery. From the two great immigrations between 1880 and 1970, many people from different ethnical backgrounds and nationalities entered America. These include Mexicans, Jews, American victims of the persecution in Turkey, and even refugees, to mention a few. It is not wise for them to pay reparation to the Black Americans since they were never involved in mistreating the African-Americans during slavery times.
It is clear that the European states, another great target for reparation, ended slavery in the early 19th century. Only two states waited until the end of the 19th century to end their slavery. These were Cuba and Brazil. In case the supporters of reparation were strategic. They were aiming to punish the descendants of the white Americans, but they would also demand it from Arab and African countries. This would make it appear less hypocritical. The reality here is that most African countries are poor and could not pay it as well. Therefore, it is not logical to continue with the movement of reparation (Cullors 1684).
This move is not worthy since America’s government has implemented a large number of programs in African-America’s favor. These programs benefit the blacks and other minority communities that rea struggling to ensure a better living in America. The African-Americans should be contented with the little efforts they have been offered. The government has been so compassionate about the needs of the blacks. From the 1960s civil rights legislation, blacks are now possessing a larger percentage of the middle-class population. Over seventy percent of the African-Americans are currently living above the poverty line. Therefore, wanting the government to set aside some funds or pay back for reparation will be incredible (King and Jennifer 739-758).
According to Cottom, the reparations claims one more attempt to turn African-Americans into victims. It sends a damaging message to the African-American community. This in turn separates the idea that sets African-American against the nation that gives them freedom. This makes more African-American becoming slaves to their own nation. The only thing she insists on is that the blacks should work towards forgiving what the whites did “And they are not going to be able to become their fullest, best selves until they have enacted the part of reparations we don’t like to talk about very much: the admittance of guilt and the collective forgiveness.”
Cottom stated that no one needed reparations than white people. She states that it will, as a result, benefit the whites than the blacks. In this article, Americans’ culture is described as a capitalistic one that is more of material and property ownership. America also focuses a lot on the economic part of the reparation. She added that true reparation has always focused on forgiveness and responsibility within Society (Mark n.p). American doesn’t concentrate on emotional things that are highly devalued in their Society since it is hard to monetize reparation. According to her, reparation is about blacks getting material goods and naming the harm that was done to them. Reparations should give the whites away a solution from the ugliest and poorest part of white racism.
In summary, the slavery that existed cannot be erased since it is part of humanity’s history. When people continue insisting on reparation to cure the suffering and pain they underwent, they tend to miss the fact that the blacks can’t be whole again from the slavery viewpoint. There is no way Americans can right the wrongs they did during the slave trade times. The forced labor that African-Americans suffered could be reversed. These problems alternatively will not miraculously disappear despite the claims brought forward by separationist that holding the American government responsible for the slavery and harsh treatment of slaves will correct the past. Slavery ended almost two centuries ago, and blacks have regained their freedom and lifestyle. Therefore, there is no need for reparation movements since most African-Americans are in better positions than those present during the slavery period. Therefore, instead of fighting for reparation, these movements’ supporters should use this energy in more productive things.
Works Cited
Cullors, Patrisse. “Abolition and Reparations: Histories of Resistance, Transformative Justice, and Accountability.” Harv. L. Rev. 132 (2018): 1684.
Frith, Nicola, and Joyce Hope Scott. “National and International Perspectives on Movements for Reparations.” The Journal of African American History 103.12 (2018): 1-18.
King, Desmond S., and Jennifer M. Page. “Towards transitional justice? Black reparations and the end of mass incarceration.” Ethnic and Racial Studies 41.4 (2018): 739-758.
Mark, Leviton. “Tressie McMillan Cottom on Confronting Racism, Sexism, and Classism.”(2020) retrieved from https://www.thesunmagazine.org/issues/530/we-will-be-seen