Reparations for Slavery Are NOT the Solution to the Problems Facing Black Americans

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For over 200 years people of African descent were enslaved by Anglo-Saxons, having to endure painful hardships and not really even having an identity. After the Emancipation Proclamation they were supposedly "free" but were still considered a lesser people by many white Americans, even to the present day. But the question that has been posed and that we have read about is whether or not black Americans should receive monetary compensation for their hardships.

In an article written by Shelby Steele, a black American whose grandfather was born into slavery, he writes about his feelings toward reparations, saying that reparations would be an insult to his heritage. He states, "My first objection to reparation for slavery is that it feels like selling our birthright for a pot of porridge." He feels as though reparations for the past will not change the black American future, saying that today's black Americans problems are failure on their part not on white Americans. What would compensation for black injustices solve?

According to Jim Meyers, in "Righting the Wrongs of Slavery," reparations for slavery wouldn't solve anything. He claims that it would just put an even bigger rift between white and black Americans. He argues that "white bitterness would be inescapable" and that white Americans would feel as though they owned everything that black Americans obtain with the reparations. He also poses the questions that many of the articles for and against reparations pose: Who will receive these reparations and who will have to pay them? Is it just based on skin color? Will all black Americans receive reparations even if they aren't descents of slaves or will they look at every Americans genealogy to discover who is and who isn't? What about white Americans who aren't descents of slave holders? Will Irish immigrants who came to this country in the 1920's have to pay these reparations? It's really hard to draw the line. The battle seems like a hard one to win when there are so many variables that can't be ignored.

Both Steele and Meyers oppose reparations, agreeing that it would not uplift the black community, but in another article, written by Robert Westley, there is a different opinion. Westley feels that it is necessary for the black community to receive monetary compensation, stating that "a private trust should be established for the benefit of all black Americans.

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