As expected, the main consternation is the political reality that many european Americans are against it, in particular as represented by member of the House. The issue is that it is difficult to discuss such a measure without ostracizing the general public. In order to accomplish work around this, the bill is worded to holistically examine the social, political, and economic impact of slavery on our nation. The reality is that the negative impact of slavery and its effect on African Americans has yet to be seriously dealt with and/or owned up to by the United States Government.
The arguments against reparations are many but have best been outlined by Alfred Brophy in an article published in the DePaul Law Review in 2004 titled “The Cultural war over Reparations for Slavery.” In this document he suggests that there is no single group that can be singularly designated as being responsible for slavery as well as no sole group received the benefits from the practice. In addition, the assertion is made that a small segment of white america owned slaves and that arguments for reparations is cemented on the unfound claim that all the descendants of african American slaves suffer from the economic consequences of slavery.
Common rebuttal to these points of order note that governments and corporations have maintained an incessant existence on the backs of slaves and, as a result, should be held liable for such faulty judgments that promulgated the practice. Proponents feel that remediation of such should be made with tax payer money. The Conyers legislation is buttressed by: 1) the practice of slavery represented a fundamental injustice and inhumanity directed toward people of African Descent in America; (2) that the subsequent racial and economic discrimination against freed slaves impacted African Americans and placed them at an economic disadvantage; and (3) that by examining the impact of those forces on today’s living Africa Americans, appropriate recommendations can be made to Congress for remedies to redress the harm inflicted on those generations living today.
The issue of Reparations is complex. However, It is good to see that unlike many on Capitol Hill, Mr. Conyers has maintained his dedication to resolving this issue. To date, the Bill has 31 sponsors and has continued to increase since the democrat from Michigan introduced it to the floor of the House in 1989. –torrance stephens, ph.d.
