Keilana Franklin
4/5/2005
Expository Writing
Red Blood Green Money
Although the institution of slavery has been dead for 140 years, the idea of reparations
remains a hot debate, especially to those who feel indebted. The topic raises interest
especially when we think of the reparations that were awarded to Japanese Americans 50
years after their internment during WWII. I am by no means belittling the compensation
given to those innocent citizens; I am simply asking for the same empathy and
compensation for the descendents of the African slaves. After all, it was our ancestor’s
hard labor that built this country we call America.
I am aware of the arguments against reparations for African Americans. One is that
slaves are no longer living, and therefore reparations would be paid to people who were
never slaves. This, frankly, is no fault of the ancestors or the descendents. Had a
decision been erected during their living years, this would not be an issue today. Unlike
the Japanese, who lived to see reparations awarded them for the mal-treatment inflicted
upon them by the hands of the American government, our people are still waiting. We,
as descendents, are still waiting to see the government repair the generations of
psychological and economic effects of slavery.
Also, some critics argue that slavery was legal at the time; therefore, no crime was
committed. Since no crime was committed, no reparations are needed. To show the
hypocrisy of these critics, again I’ll use the Japanese Americans as a balance weight since
their situation seemed to garner enough attention to make amends. In 1941, Executive
Order 9066, which permitted the internment of the Japanese, was justified as a “military
necessity”. This military necessity made the incarceration of the Japanese legal. This
legality did not prevent Japanese Americans from receiving due justice. How, I wonder,
was the Japanese’s predicament any different from the slaves? The situations have
similar characteristics although the circumstance of the slaves was more severe because
slavery lasted for a longer period of time and caused more damaging economic,
emotional, and psychological effects.
The final argument against reparations that I want to address is that American taxpayers
are already spending trillions of dollars on programs that benefit African Americans. The
problem with this argument is that African Americans make up a large percentage of the
taxpayers in “American”; therefore, the system is taking from us to give to us. That’s
like buying people gifts with their own credit cards. We want what is due, not false
appeasement or incentives for memory loss. We won’t forget because we can’t.
Although we will always remember the atrocities inflicted upon our precious ancestors,
we also acknowledge that the brutal men and women who allowed this tragedy to take
place are no longer here. We do not take our frustrations out on their descendents. We
are merely asking for the government to intervene, in every area applicable, to justify our
ancestors and let them rest in peace. Let them rest knowing that their descendents are not
consistently a step behind in America. Give them comfort by ensuring that they will reap
from the seeds that were planted so many years ago. Don’t we deserve free educations,
without stipulations? We were uneducated without stipulations? Also, monetary
reparations are due. I think $50,000 per individual family is a working estimate. It
would definitely alleviate stress for some individuals who suffer from years of not being
able to keep their heads above water. To whom, do you wonder should these reparations
be awarded? To every current head of household. The longer the government delays
these payments, the greater the scope of the award.
Some believe that successful reparation suits will cause a massive injustice to leak into
the American system. The only appropriate rebuttal for this insensitive argument is: How
much more unjust would this system be than the unlawful slavery that occurred in the
same American system?