Posted on 09/28/2009 10:20:33 AM PDT by greyfoxx39
WASHINGTON -- Reparation for the legacy of slavery and peonage may not come in the form of a check, but it must come, speakers said Friday at a forum sponsored by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation.
"For him to stand up -- before even other people in the caucus stood up -- is remarkable," said Harvard Law School professor Charles J. Ogletree. "Sometimes you have to recognize there are friends among us who are doing things that are helping us understand what we need to do."
Cohen is a co-sponsor of a bill by U.S. Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., first introduced in 1989, that calls for a commission to study reparation proposals.
Ogletree explained that Conyers came up with the idea after legislation apologizing to Japanese Americans interned during World War II passed in 1988.
Getting the study bill passed in this Congress is finally possible, said Ogletree, because "my sense is we could not have a more propitious time."
Detroit City Council member JoAnne Watson said that the apology was a first step. She said the second step is investigation, the third step is compensation and the fourth step is consequences for wrongdoing.
"We are worth it," Watson said. "We're not begging. It's ours."
National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America chairwoman Njere Alghance of Georgia said placing the issue at the forefront of the international agenda is important. She said she's working to make "reparations" a household word like "holocaust" has become.
Professor Ron Walters of the University of Maryland, author of "The Price of Racial Reconciliation," said it's important to understand that slavery continued to exist well into the 20th century as peonage after it was formally ended in 1865.
Elections have consequences.
Lawd, not this s*it again.
Hey, I’ve been a wage slave to the Federal Government for ~40 years. I want a rebate.
It’s called TARP. Where did that money go?
6 trillion on welfare.
Paid in full.
Hey, do you have to submit to a DNA test to see if you are black enough to qualify? What about those who came here after the Civil War, do they need a family history?
All of these questions make this issue stupid as hell.
And again - why should I pay? One side of my family deserves reparations from Turkey for abuses committed under Ottoman rule, and the other side lost everything in the War to Establish the Federal Empire (1861-1865).
Well, I want reparations too. One of my ancestors was an indentured servant in the 1600’s in Virginia.
Are any of the African tribes who sold them to the slave traders going to chip in? If not...this is NOT fair.
Propitious time....does that mean we have a sympathetic president? None of his ancestors were slaves...it was quite possible some of his ancestors did some of the selling to the traders.
What hogwash.
Thanks for posting. I knew you’d come through.
Propitious?
Now he’s showing off.
Go ahead Morons that should about do the trick!!!!!
What about the Free Men of Color who owned slaves? Should their decendents receive reparations?
I’ve had not one but TWO friends shot in the face by Blacks. Will I get reparations?
If Reparations are passed, only the American taxpayers will be footing the bill so what does Rep Cohen care?
I think it’s a good idea. All of you who were former slaves please step forward.
Matter of opinion.
Steve Cohen, a jew up for a tough re election fight against King Willie himself, from Memphis TN......
Exactly! Reparations time now. This is what is all about for many of the folks who voted for BHO. It’s payback time baby.
“Reparation for the legacy of slavery and peonage may not come in the form of a check, but it must come, speakers said Friday at a forum sponsored by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation.”
F*CK YOU.
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.