Reparations

The following is an unpublished response to the Atlanta Journal Constitution conversation starter "Are Reparations Needed?"

"Yes! There is a need for reparations. Without question, slavery left a legacy of poverty and depravation for the descendants of those enslaved, while it benefited others who amassed wealth and enjoyed privilege. The relative poverty/wealth that slavery created still exists today; it can be quantified. We call it the chasm of inequality; it mirrors the three-fifths compromise agreed to by our founding fathers and codified in the U.S. Constitution.

In America, blacks are still the "last hired and first fired." While a few blacks can claim to have "broken the color" barrier and made it big, such as Oprah Winfrey and Bill Cosby, the vast majority suffer from the racial discrimination prevalent in our socioeconomic and politically hostile environment. Slaves' descendants are treated worse than foreigners that come to America in search of the good life; blacks are relegated by law to the bottom of America's society. In some rural Georgia areas, blacks still work on farms for less than minimum wages. Bridget Steward's Webster County comes to mind. The notion that blacks now enjoy a "level playing field" is laughable; it makes no sense to even suggest such a status, in light of reality.

Below is a collection of essays, articles and research work on the question of reparations. Begin with Thaddeus Stevens' H.R. 29, which called for compensating newly freed slaves from land confiscated from the former "confederate states." Follow this with the other legal efforts to secure reparation that include this year's effort to secure an official apology by Rep. Tony Hall. Delve into the economic research that provides the foundation of our claim that the United States owes the descendants of slavery compensation for the economic devastation of forced servitude and contemporary institutionalized racism. Then, peruse some of the articles on this topic that have appeared in The DISH.

To wind up this look at slave descendants' claim for reparations, read from the works of conservative blacks and those the conservatives would call demagogues, who seek to profit from the subject, much like those poverty pimps who profited from the civil rights struggle of the 1960's.

This page is designed to provide our people with insight and information to aid in our efforts to secure those long overdue reparations.

World Conference Against Racism (WCAR)

This is just a small sampling of the many articles on this topic that appeared in The DISH. From time to time, other information will be added. This page is a work in progress, so expect it to change periodically.

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