The federal government is committed to launching a major reparations initiative to restore “the 40-acre promise” to African Americans in the United States, civil rights historians experts said at an event Thursday.
William A. Darity Jr., Professor of Public Order at Duke, and A. Kirsten Mullen, founder of the Carolina Circuit Writer, authors of “From Here to Equality: Making Amends for Black Americans in the 21st Century,” said they believe that redress must be in the form of payments of $ 8,500 – a number that is the difference between the average income of Caucasian and African American households – to each black-identified descendant of a slave.
“Reparations are a program of recognition, redress and closure for a grave injustice,” said Mullen.
The program would cost about $ 10 trillion, according to Darity and Mullen. They said that only the federal government has the ability to pay for the program.
“It is important that these types of payments are made because we really want to create the full conditions for participatory citizenship for black Americans in the United States,” said Darity. “And that requires both a material basis and a political basis, and reparations would provide the material basis necessary for full citizenship.”
Darity and Mullen also pointed out precedents that support their case. Germany made direct payments to all Holocaust survivors, and the US made similar reparations in 1988 for every Japanese American forced into internment camps during World War II.
The experts identified three phases of atrocities committed by the US against African Americans: slavery; Segregation and mass murder by white supremacists; and civil rights discrimination. This legislative discrimination includes “mass detention; police executions of blacks; Discrimination in work, housing and credit, ”says Darity.
Darity and Mullen thought about this story and said that it had a cumulative impact on wealth.
“In our view, the economic indicator is the cumulative consequence of white supremacy, the enormous racial gap and wealth in the United States,” said Darity.
Mullen added that she supported no-redress reforms aimed at increasing the prosperity of African Americans, including stepping up measures to promote education and work. However, she said direct payments are uniquely important: “Bring us real reparation.”
Mullen replied on whether or not only financially disadvantaged descendants of slaves should receive reparation: “It is not a poverty program. This concerns a US government debt that is 156 years overdue and should be paid. “
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