Slavery and Reparations

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“Slavery, colonialism and neo-colonialism have caused inestimable damage to billions of people throughout the world. They have also formed the basis for the accumulation of immense wealth in the hands of a small elite… The slave trade involved the brutal relocation of tens of millions of people in which families, communities and societies were destroyed and in which millions lost their lives in the most inhumane conditions. At the same time, slavery was a fundamental element of the strengthening of mercantile trade and the rapid accumulation of capital that formed the basis for the emergence of the capitalist system as we know it today. Colonial conquest entailed the further oppression of the people of the colonies in the form of dispossessing people of their land and their livelihoods, destroying their cultures and social and political structures and subjecting them to the rule of the colonial powers. Colonialism, in both its early expansionary phase and the imperialist phase in which the colonial powers carved up the world amongst themselves, created the conditions for the further accumulation of capital as well as the concentration and centralization of this wealth into fewer and fewer hands. Neo-colonialism continues and intensifies this oppression, leading to levels of poverty and destitution… never witnessed before. The big transnational corporations, the governments of the North and the international institutions, including the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and World Trade Organization, are working with new elites in the South to perpetuate the process whereby the rich get richer at the expense of the poor getting poorer.”

(JubileeSouth “Reparations Towards Another World”)

An institution that lasted f...

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... African Americans, then supporters, activists, lawyers, and the Black community all could stand behind one unified proposal. A proposal that is similar to Japanese-American redress that would seek to compensate individuals, the Black community through education and trust funds that would appreciate over time, and finally be recognized for the atrocities that slavery had on the African American existence in America. There is no question that slavery was both morally and ethically wrong, but somehow our country has become very comfortable with ignoring the impact that slavery had on the Black community. Even though slavery ended over 200 years ago the disadvantages of being Black in America still exist, and until the U.S. government begins to rectify their actions, blacks will continue to lose opportunities and will be no better off than their emancipated ancestors.

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