--Patrick Henry, to the Virginia Convention, March 23, 1775
Posted on 05/29/2012 12:30:03 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Reparations.
That single word has the power to bring forth memories of slave screams, blood-shed, lynching, raping and the unrepentant theft of generations of successful Black families by the United States of America.
It also has the power to breed resentment, as the 40 acres and a mule that Black Americans were promised by General William Sherman at the close of the American Civil War were snatched away by President Andrew Johnson and returned to their White owners.
Watch the 2008 presidential hopefuls debate whether African Americans should receive reparations here:
(VIDEO AT LINK)
Primarily left landless, fragmented, disconnected from our culture, and uneducated with little-to-no chance of gainful employment, the dregs of slavery and Jim and Jane Crow continue to poison our communities in both tangible and intangible ways.
During her investigation into the wealth — or lack thereof — in the African-American community, CNN’s Soledad O’Brien spoke with Rev. DeForest B. Soaries of First Baptist Church in Lincoln, New Jersey, who made the sharp correlation that “debt is slavery”:
“When I’m paying last month’s bills with next month’s check, that’s slavery. When I ‘m writing a check hoping that it doesn’t bounce, or when I pull out my credit card praying that it’s not rejected, then I’m living in financial bondage.”
Watch Minister Louis Farrakhan discuss what America and Europe owe to Blacks here:
(VIDEO AT LINK)
What becomes clear when the imbalanced economic scales in this country are tilted further by institutionalized racism, is that we are still very much living within a system that profited immensely from the blood, sweat, and tears of slave labor, while refusing to make good on the loan of our livelihoods and collective economic value. According to Harper’s magazine (November, 2000), the United States stole an estimated $100 trillion dollars for 222,505,049 hours of forced labor between 1619 and 1865 with a compounded interest of 6 percent.
In lieu of these tragic numbers, Dr. John Hope Franklin, renowned historian and author of “From Slavery to Freedom,” voices his contempt for the pseudo-apologies that the U.S. government has given for an institution that has left Black America in a perpetual race, with many having no idea why we seem to never make significant and collective economic strides:
People are running around apologizing for slavery, he said. What about that awful period since slavery — Reconstruction, Jim Crow, and all the rest? And what about the enormous wealth that was built up by Black labor? I think that’s little to pay for the gazillions that Black people built up — the wealth of this country — with their labor, and now you’re going to say, ‘I’m sorry I beat the hell out of you for all these years’? That’s not enough.
It’s definitely not enough.
In a system that relies heavily on what many consider to be Dixiecratic handouts, vilifying those who are forced to accept them, while simultaneously and condescendingly stating that, “Rising tides lift all boats,” this country has to reach a point where reparations is not viewed as a joke or some unimaginable occurrence. If the boats have historical, psychological, and economic holes blown through them by Jim Crow and Uncle Sam, rising tides without life rafts do nothing but drown us deeper into debt.
In his 1970 book, “By Any Means Necessary,” Malcolm X (aka El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz) spoke of reparations not as a choice, or a last resort, but as the only way to rectify the inhumane atrocities committed against Black Americans:
If you are the son of a man who had a wealthy estate and you inherit your father’s estate, you have to pay off the debts that your father incurred before he died. The only reason that the present generation of White Americans are in a position of economic strength…is because their fathers worked our fathers for over 400 years with no pay…. We were sold from plantation to plantation like you sell a horse, or a cow, or a chicken, or a bushel of wheat…. All that money…is what gives the present generation of American Whites the ability to walk around the earth with their chest out…like they have some kind of economic ingenuity. Your father isn’t here to pay. My father isn’t here to collect. But I’m here to collect and you’re here to pay.
In the next weeks, NewsOne will speak with Black leaders on the topic of reparations and how exactly the concept can be contextualized in a contemporary narrative. More importantly, we will ask for feedback from our readers on the possibility of reparations and what we are willing to do – if anything — to ensure that it comes to fruition.
What do you think?
Should Black America receive reparations from the U.S. government for slavery?
Yes, absolutely.
No, that time has passed.
Absouletely. Every living former slave should be compensated by the people who enslaved them. If none are still living, then there is no one to give reparations to.
Oh? That’s not what they want to hear? Then perhaps they should explain why people who never were enslaved should be compensated for something they never experienced.
One answer: No! Reparations were paid in blood in the Civil War. Relatives died wearing Union Blue to free them. They were abolitionists too and got into a lot of trouble for it too. My direct ancestor was wounded at The Crater—fighting along side of Black Troops. I feel any debt was paid by that sacrifice.
--Patrick Henry, to the Virginia Convention, March 23, 1775
Oh. Hell. No!!!
Given the entitlements, high crime rate among blacks and other ways in which they take advantage of white America, they’ve been getting ‘reparations’ for decades.
In the next weeks, NewsOne will speak with Black leaders on the topic of reparations and how exactly the concept can be contextualized in a contemporary narrative. More importantly, we will ask for feedback from our readers on the possibility of reparations and what we are willing to do – if anything — to ensure that it comes to fruition.
Sure, just visualize swarms of violent, entitled yutes helping themselves to the fruits of others' labors. Locust demons with a king Obama over them.
Found some more red meat to throw to Freepers, eh, 2DV?
Taxpayers? Don't blacks pay taxes?
So 13% of the funds received are paid to themselves?
Asians pay taxes. Should they be saddled with a debt when they received no benefit?
How about recent immigrants. Do they have to pay also?
How about the French, British, and Germans? They bought the cotton and tobacco. Shouldn't they get a piece of the bill?
The Dutch profited from the slave trade so make sure they pay too.
The competing tribes in Africa that captured these men that were sold to the slavers should be made to pony up.
While we are at it, what about the Jews that were enslaved by the Egyptians. Don't they have to be paid?
And on and on....
On top of the $10 trillion already paid?
(shrug) Sure.. Why not? Ubama’s beeen handing out the reparations through the back door since he took office anyway..
If the intent is to restore them to their original circumstances, wouldn’t that mean recipients of reparations would have to return to Africa?
Yeah, I wrote this disguised as a black female journalist, then carefully went back to my original identity to get the conservatives all up in arms about slave reparations. Nothing like my work as a 3 year old at the grassy knoll, but still pretty slick, huh?
Maybe this should be expanded to include the issue of whether the offspring of the slave traders should be tapped for some funds. Like maybe the proceeds from Obama’s books could be garnished to help raise funds for the sons and daughters of the former slaves?! Surely this should also be on the agenda!? [Have any of you suddenly switched sides? :]
Yes, without a doubt.
Every living Black person who was owned as a slave should get something by way of compensation for the labor coerced.
Can you imagine the "roots" cottage industry that would spring up offering blacks all kinds of fake genealogical trees?
LMAO!!
"Reparations" talk has been around forever, but it's just another silly pie-in-the-sky fantasy that serves to give the liberals something to chatter about, much like the "global warming" scam, and hopefully keep them out of more serious mischief.
I agree. As a man from AK is is just appalling that blacks in slavery get no pay.
IN his 2008 book George Washington said “No I don’t think so”
get a F’ing job, stop having fatherless kids by the boat load and grow up.
No.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.