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Even if you were to argue that it is in their best
interest to do so, white America would balk at the thought
that they are, first of all, liable to anyone for what their
“ancestors” did to Black Americans and, secondly, they would
not give up economic “goodies” and benefits that are
destined for their progeny and that would inure to unknown
“others.”
There are books galore on the issue of reparations and
the righteousness of it and how it is overdue and that
unless it is done, there can be no righting of this
racially-listing American ship called America.
Imagine, if you can, the top one percenters in this
country (those are the ones who hold the true wealth of this
country in their tightly closed hands) agreeing to lend
their credibility to programs that have the effect of
shifting tens of trillions of dollars to ideas and programs
that would monetize the economic aspirations of Black
Americans.
Any Congress, regardless of its political makeup, is
not going to affirm the case (and which case, I might add
is clear cut) that White Americans stole, robbed, killed and
cheated both Native Americans out of their land
(sorry, folks, but Christopher Columbus did not discover
America) and did horrendous things to Black Americans in
order to subjugate them to a mentality of inferiority.
When you consider that the national debt is approaching
27 trillion dollars, imagine asking for tens of trillions
more to be added on to it if the federal government was to
be responsible for reparations.
The roar and howl about such a price tag for reparations
would have the fiscal hawks in Congress losing all their
feathers if they had to construct and fund such a mammoth
financial undertaking.
Of course, opponents would raise the issue of who
really qualifies for reparations. Is it direct descendants
of slaves or is it anyone who has faced discrimination due
to their being considered Black?
Would reparations include those who are not
considered, “Black” insofar as they have mixed parentage and
thus are not in a direct lineage from any African ancestors?
Also, what timeframe are we speaking about? Are we
going back to the date line of 1619, when Africans first
appeared on these shores or are we referring to the time
that slavery, based upon racial markers, became codified in
the law?
What are some of the forms or platforms that
reparations could utilized? Try these on for size:
(1) Two hundred billion dollars to the HBCU schools and
universities.
(2) One trillion dollars in direct aid and grants to small
and medium size minority businesses including lines of
credit and placement of funds in minority owned and
controlled credit unions, banks and hedge funds.
(3) Five trillion dollars for no interest loans to purchase
both real estate in the form of homes, business startups and
lines of credit.
(4) Funding to establish a commission on racial
reconciliation which would examine the effect of slavery in
America; and how slavery was institutionalized in America
via its political, religious and economic systems.
(5) Sufficient funding to re-examine and re-write the
slanted history books to illustrate the real drama and dread
of holding people in bondage and peonage, the intended
purposes and effects capitulated America to become a world
class power.
(6) Last, but not least, a computation of placing X dollars
directly in the hands of former slaves and their
descendants, be they who stayed in the US of A or who left
for Liberia and other parts of the world to escape being a
continuing captive of American style racism.
(7) Funds for the various African countries which were
ravaged by the slavery trade and lost millions of people and
their talents to this heinous trade.
Any meaningful discussion of reparations would be a
powder keg of acrimony, bellicose accusations, denials,
lies, distortions and sorrowful stories of those who lives
were deliberately snuffed out due to their courage to speak
truth to power.
Reparations. It is not a topic that is easy on the
tongue or kind to the ear since by its very nature it says
that one person is wrong and the other person is awaiting
both an apology and real dollars to make some amends,
albeit, not being made whole.
Reparations can only say to the aggrieved that, “We
were wrong, and we economically benefitted for hundreds of
years from your losses, free labor and illegal
subjugation.”
Contact Lafe Tolliver at
tolliver@juno.com
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