Coates presents many points in his writing, “The Case for Reparations”. He talks about how the system set black people up to fail. It all began during slavery times and are still in place till this day. He states that the men who came together and founded America promised freedom and equality for all. But in fact America began in “Black plunder and White democracy”. He then goes to say that black people were “plundered of their bodies, plundered of their families, and plundered of their labor”. The slaves were used to profit America and in the end led America and whites to be successful. Slavery played a big role in the income of white people while blacks were forced to work for free. When Black people were freed from slavery, White people set the governmental system up against them. Black people did not have the luxuries that whites had and they had to work much harder to get something than a white person. Segregation was forced unto black people and it made it hard for them to live in the suburbs or in homes just as white people did. The banks would deny them loans simply because they were black. Being black and owning a home where whites lived lowered the value of other whites homes. Anytime a black person was able to live in a suburb or an area that whites lived they were harassed until they moved out. They would destroy their property and even harm them and nothing was done about it. Black people did not the have the opportunities that white people did. The system was set up against them and when they were able to achieve certain luxuries they were not allowed to have it because of the racism they dealt with. All of these things which were set up against black people still affect them today in America. Predominantly white neighborhoods are higher value and are typically upper middle class or the upper class. Predominantly Black neighbors are lower value and are typically middle class or below. Although the system has changed somewhat black people are still affected by the earlier system and still the current system. The earlier system already did damage on blacks and the damage was never undone. Because it was never fixed and black people were never given reparations black people are still faced with some of the same issues and are stuck where they were left off.
This reading stood out to me because of the points that were made. It shed light on the fact that black people still face certain issues in society and have not been compensated for it all. All that was left behind slavery was racism, discrimination and a corrupt governmental system. Throughout history black people were pushed around and treated terribly and yet accountability has not been taken. For all that black people have gone through they deserve reparations. Black people built this country for free. Forced to come to America and work for nothing. For years black people have struggled in society and still do. Reparations for all the treatment and abuse is something the government never did and never intended on doing.