Summary: The Case For Reparations

Summary
The Case for Reparations
The Case of Reparations written by Ta-Nehisi Coates describes the struggle of homeownership for African Americans, and discusses the need of reparations. The author explains the story of Clyde Ross, an African American from Mississippi who wanted to own a home in North Lawndale, Chicago. However, he was sucked into a system of having all the responsibilities of home ownership, but still had to pay rent, which means he did not actually own his home. Unfortunately, this happened to many African Americans in Chicago. The author’s purpose is to create awareness of why many African Americans do not own homes, the creation of all white or all black neighborhoods and the government’s involvement (Coates 2014).
I Have a Dream
On August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave the historical I Have a Dream speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. With an audience of about 250,00 people from all racial backgrounds, Dr. King addressed discrimination, prejudice and police brutality against African Americans, and his hopes and dreams of freedom for all people in the United States. Dr. King needed to have a dream because of the mistreatment African

Americans. Dr. King advocated for equal opportunities, voting rights and to end segregation (“King speaks to March on Washington” 2010 & King 1963).
Reparations
Typically, reparations are referred to as monetary payments. However, the author’s context of reparations is the nation recognizing that slavery happened, admit that it was wrong, and that it negatively affects African American to this day. The author believes if white Americans could acknowledge the past, and honestly say what happened was horrible, a weight could be lifted off of their shoulders. The author is not asking for monetary payment, but for a sincere apology (“Reparation” n.d & Coates 2014, IX).
Mental Health of African Americans
The historical context in the article outlines a timeline that dates back to when Africans were brought to America until now, and the struggle of achieving democracy and wealth. In my opinion, the historical context presented in the article in reference to slavery and segregation has a negative impact on the mental health of many African Americans. Mental health refers to a person’s emotional, psychological and social well-being. Also, these aspects control how someone would think, feel and act (“What is mental health” n.d).
I think slavery and segregation had an impact on black people’s confidence. I think many black people still unconsciously have the “white is right mentality”. African Americans perceive lighter skin as better, which is attributed to slavery as a divide and conquer technique. Also, some African Americans try to deny their connection to Africa by using the justification that they have never been to Africa, or know anything about it, and that they are simply American. In my opinion, black people denying their connection to Africa is caused by the negative image white people painted about the continent, and now black people do not want to be affiliated with it. Overall, I believe division of skin complexion and denial of being from Africa is a reflection of low self-confidence, which is related to mental health in reference to how black people think and feel about themselves.
Shooting of Unarmed Men
In recent news, there have been many murders of unarmed African Americans by police officers. Relating these incidents to the historical context in the article it could suggest that white people still view black people as unequal to them. Police officers do not apprehend suspects of different ethnic backgrounds in the same way. When the suspect is black, police officers seem to use excessive force, typically ending in death. In most cases, it is a white police officer and a black man, and the excuse for the shooting is that the black man looked threatening even when he is unarmed. In general, the life of a black person is not valued as much as a white person.
Wealth Gap
Economic inequalities that many people of color face in the U.S are income inequality and wealth inequality. Income inequality refers to the gap of income that the rich and poor make. Wealth inequality refers to the worth of assets that people own, such as property and cars. According to Paul Gorski (2013), the median wealth of white households is 20 times greater than black households (pg.46). This inequality can be attributed to low wage jobs available in all black communities, and government initiatives that assisted white Americans with homeownership, but excluded African Americans. In the majority of African American communities low wage jobs lack unions, and often times do not offer benefits and paid leave. This causes many people to struggle to make ends meet (Wilson n.d).
The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) created a policy that made homeownership accessible for white people but not for blacks people. The FHA did not approve loans for black people, which made it much harder to own a home. The federal government contributed to the wealth gap by creating housing policies that excluded blacks from qualifying for the program. The author believes that reparations could possibly close this gap, but for that to happen, everyone in society would have to cooperate. Unfornately, it is clear that not everyone would be in agreement, since the topic has not reached the House of Representatives for a discussion (Coates 2014, V & Madrigal 2014).
The I Have a Dream speech addressed the wealth gap by mentioning segregation and discrimination. Segregation and discrimination contribute to the wealth gap because it excludes certain people from jobs and housing opportunities. Discrimination for job opportunities stops specific people from high wage jobs, and discrimination for housing opportunities stops specific people from living in certain areas, and qualifying for homeownership programs. Dr. King’s speech advocates for equal treatment and opportunities, which could possibly give everyone the chance for economic advancement and close the wealth gap (King 1963).
Unknown Information
The I Have a Dream speech was a crucial speech during the civil rights movement and one of the most popular.

However, most people only know the portion that start with I have a dream. Many people do not know the beginning of the speech. The beginning addressed discrimination, racism and segregation. I believe many people do not know the first part of the speech because it was not taught in school. It was probably not taught in schools because school districts did not want even more attention on the flaws of the United States, but the potential. The first part of speech somewhat scorns America for its injustices and inequalities, and as the second part is more uplifting and recognizes America’s potential (King

1963).
The information in the Case for Reparation article is not common knowledge to most people because the majority of history is told in ways to satisfy the majority population. Although, there is public knowledge about FHA the positive outcomes are more publicized than the negative. I believe the true history of the United States is often hidden because it tarnishes the image of the U.S, and scorns the nation for their unfair choices (Coates 2014).
Reaction
I was first introduced to the first part of the I Have a Dream speech and the article The Case for Reparation a couple months ago, and my initial response was I was shocked. As someone who enjoys history, I was surprised I had no knowledge of the entire speech, and was not knowledgeable of the historical context of housing discrimination. In my opinion, the first part of Dr. King’s speech is the most important because it explains why Dr. King needed to have a dream, and why he delivered the speech. The information in the article is especially important because it addresses why there is a wealth gap between white and African Americans people and the governments involvement. The article gives a great explanation for why many black people live in ghettos and do not own property. The speech and the article speak volumes to the state of many African Americans today. Although, a lot has changed there is still far to go.