“I don’t think reparations for something that happened 150 years ago for whom none of us currently living are responsible is a good idea” Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell made this statement in opposition to slavery reparation.
“We’ve tried to deal with our original sin of slavery by fighting a civil war, by passing landmark civil rights legislation. We elected an African American president,” He added. It is inexplicable that McConnell seems to believe that Barack Obama’s presidency was a form of reparation. Besides, the Civil War fighting centered largely on the North-South divide on economic interests and cultural values than the cause of slavery.
The argument that “slavery has nothing to do with this generation therefore we are against any form of reparation” is somewhat logical; however, not necessarily the best argument. As we have seen in history, reparations have been paid to the Japanese for their loss of property and freedom during WWII; compensations had been issued by Congress to reward native tribes whose land has been taken forcibly by the U.S. The taxpayers that funded the reparations at the time of compensation issuance were not necessarily responsible for the Japanese’s treatments during WWII and natives deprivation of land that happened decades ago. As such, reparation is not considered an individual responsibility, but collective responsibility as American citizens towards those who had been oppressed in the past.
As we have seen from these precedents, slavery reparation is not impossible, but certainly in the case of slave descendants will be much more difficult to implement than the cases mentioned previously. But more studies should be conducted to configure the details of who should be eligible for reparation, where the money comes from, and how it can be administered.
I agree fully with what you are saying. I like the claims that you tie in with past precedent too. I think you summarized it well when you said “is not considered an individual responsibility, but collective responsibility as American citizens towards those who had been oppressed in the past” and I think it brings an important overarching message.
I like the examples you provided, they really show that even though no one’s responsible for what happened we can be held accountable. The reparations don’t even have to be monetary. The form of reparations Coates is looking for is the acceptance of our history. So that the people that wave around the confederate flag saying it represents their states fight for states’ rights can say it represents their fight for states’ rights to keep slaves.