Rebecca Sorkin PE 217 Study Guide Module 2 The Case for Reparations: -Ross family a part of South Bend communities. -Deep desire for protection by law for black individuals. -Jim Crow Mississippi had no voting rights for blacks, used a poll tax and they lived in fear of lynch mobs. -Ross family’s land was ceased, along with their buggies and cattle. -Family subjected to sharecropping. -Clyde lost a potential chance to obtain a better education because of his tie to his work. -Family couldn’t afford a suit for him, that would’ve allowed him to attend a sought-after church program. -Their horse was taken for $17, the horse that held significance to Clyde. -As he grew older, he was drafted into active service, he believed war would be better than work. -He fled the south to seek long-desired government protection. -Eventually moved to an integrated community of Jewish and black families. -Had purchased a home from a seller without legal actions/documents, depriving him of the benefits of owning a home, and subject to the inconvenience of aspects of renting. -1930-1960- Black people excluded from home ownership aspects. -FHA also stopped black people from its benefits because of its zoning grades. -Contract sellers made money on the hopes of black people obtaining home ownership. -They hoped for crime to be exposed, restitution and reparations. -Lawndale becomes poorer city than intended. -Black progress has made strides in some areas but not in all. -Difficult to truly escape the ghetto. -Poverty and melanin in the same statistics. -Upward mobility example set by Obama family. -“the account is square with the ex slaves” some believe reparations are to be excused and are not necessary based on history and labor. -“balance does not disappear” for black’s, they believe society is historically indebted to them for the slavery, segregation and violence their ancestors experienced. Ta-Nehisi Coates West Point: -“How power moves through society…and the lies” -Those who represent the country should have the best knowledge of American history. -Cadet’s code- “will not lie, cheat, steal or tolerate those who do.” -Lived in fear and had to calculate every aspect of his day to avoid violence. -Couldn’t relate to the American life portrayed on TV. -Cause of Civil War was slavery. -Mississippi river valley was the wealthiest place during the time. -Home ownership as a bonding topic, same as slavery as a bonding topic during the Civil War era. -Home ownership=American dream. -1960’s slave ownership=American dream. -Slave ownership was “normal” for society, seen as not taboo. -Post slavery, 100 years of Jim Crow. -To this day, rights are stripped from African Americans. -Unable to have access to wealth building or citizenship opportunities. Ta-Nehisi Coates, in his article, The Case for Reparations, discusses the life of Clyde Ross and his family. The Ross family was a part of the South Bend community, where families alike desired protection by the law for black individuals. Historically denied of the freedom to vote, own land, or obtain a higher education, Clyde Ross was drafted into the army, giving him a chance to escape forced labor. Being a soldier gave him the freedom to experience true American freedom, despite being a black man. He eventually moved out of the south and entered a community mixed between Jewish and black families. Unfortunately, he could not legally become a homeowner due to the contract fraud committed by home and property sellers between the 1930’s and 1960’s. Government programs like the FHA also prevented black people from its housing benefits, while segregation was essentially enforced through these policies. Based on his story, black progress was made difficult throughout history, as for every two steps forward, there was always one step backward. Due to the Ross families lack of financial stability from the low-paid work they were offered, Clyde was unable to attend a sought-after church program that could have been beneficial to him as a young boy. His family could not afford to pay for a $7 for him. This situation also presented itself when Clyde could not obtain a higher education based on his schedule between school and work. The concept of the American dream as presented by Ta-Nehisi throughout the article and his speech were surprising, as it was made on a partially first-hand account of his. The association between property and home ownership and slavery and segregation among black people is undeniable. Throughout the Civil War and the mid 1900’s, black individuals were denied the right to own property, while home ownership was the American dream. Home ownership, as a societal bonding feature, was like Civil War slavery ownership. Ta-Nehisi further recounts seeing the “American dream” portrayed on TV, while he was living in constant fear every day and could not relate to such pleasures. After examining the article and the video lecture, it was interesting to discover that to those who could obtain slaves, mostly did so to feel like they were a part of a social norm. It was likely not meant to be seen as malicious to own slaves, but rather it was seen as a bonding aspect within society amongst whites and aristocrats. Throughout my experience of learning about the Civil War era and the historical inferiority of blacks, I was always under the impression that slave owners were cruel and did so to condemn black people and encourage white supremacy. I do believe that uncovering more personal details of history, like Coates’s case can bring a sense of clarity to the history of the United States, but it is difficult as a society to revisit the past and use previous information and experiences to change the politics of today. A quote from The Case for Reparations conveys this, “the account is square with the ex-slaves”. There is a common belief that reparations are to be excused and are not necessary based on history and labor executed by slaves in American history. On the contrary, “the balance does not disappear,” for blacks, they believe society is historically indebted to them for the slavery, segregation, and violence their ancestors experienced. Coates, T.-N. (2022, February 10). The case for reparations. The Atlantic. Retrieved February 26, 2022, from https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/06/the-case-forreparations/361631/ Ta-Nehisi Coates, “Guest Lecture to the Corps of Cadets at West Point,” YouTube (April 12, 2017), https://youtu.be/oxQT3fQGJy4.
