Commentary

COMMENTARY: Reparations NOW! Are Blacks Close to Finally Getting Their “40 Acres and a Mule”?

HOUSTON FORWARD TIMES — it comes to the concept of granting “reparations” to Black people as a form of restitution for the years that Blacks spent subjected to the barbaric institution of slavery in America, it has seemingly been overlooked and ignored by the majority of legislators that have come and gone in the U.S. Congress. Even former U.S. Congressman John Conyers Jr. (D-MI) once proposed to create a Commission to study how to appropriately compensate the descendants of slaves for decades, with those conversations falling on deaf ears.

Published

5 years ago

April 27, 2019

Jeffrey L. Boney

By Jeffrey L. Boney

it comes to the concept of granting “reparations” to Black people as a form of restitution for the years that Blacks spent subjected to the barbaric institution of slavery in America, it has seemingly been overlooked and ignored by the majority of legislators that have come and gone in the U.S. Congress. Even former U.S. Congressman John Conyers Jr. (D-MI) once proposed to create a Commission to study how to appropriately compensate the descendants of slaves for decades, with those conversations falling on deaf ears.

Blacks have been trying to equal the economic and societal playing fields in this country for some time. Many Blacks have heard and even used the phrase – “40 acres and a mule” – which was a guarantee made to formerly enslaved people of African descent that was the first attempt at seeking to provide some form of reparations to Blacks who had been enslaved.

Of course, history shows us that the decision makers who talked about implementing the idea of providing reparations to those people of African descent, who were previously enslaved, reneged on their promise, leaving Blacks to work harder and longer to achieve success than those who had enslaved them to begin with. This has proved to be extremely challenging for Blacks.

U.S. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) is hoping that a bill she is now championing, in the spirit of former Rep. Conyers, gets the type of support and traction needed to help African Americans finally receive the guarantee once promised to them back in the late 1800s.

Congresswoman Jackson Lee recently announced the introduction of H.R. 40, the Commission to Study and Develop Reparations Proposals for African Americans Act. This piece of legislation would create a Commission aimed at studying the impact of slavery and continuing discrimination against African Americans, resulting directly and indirectly from slavery to segregation to the desegregation process and the present day. The Commission would also make recommendations concerning any form of apology and compensation to begin the long delayed process of atonement for slavery.

“The impact of slavery and its vestiges continues to affect African Americans and indeed all Americans in communities throughout our nation, which is why I am pleased to introduce H.R. 40,” said Congresswoman Lee. “This legislation is intended to examine the institution of slavery in the colonies and the United States from 1619 to the present, and further recommend appropriate remedies.”

Congresswoman Jackson Lee states that since the initial introduction of this legislation, its proponents have made substantial progress in elevating the discussion of reparations and reparatory justice at the national level and joining the mainstream international debate on the issues. She went on to state that some people have tried to deflect the importance of these conversations by focusing on individual monetary compensation, but the real issue is whether and how this nation can come to grips with the legacy of slavery that still infects current society.

According to the bill, the Commission shall be composed of 13 members, who shall be appointed, within 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, as follows:

• Three members shall be appointed by the President.

• Three members shall be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

• One member shall be appointed by the President pro tempore of the Senate.

• Six members shall be selected from the major civil society and reparations organizations that have historically championed the cause of reparatory justice.

In short, the Commission would be tasked with studying the impact of slavery and the continuing discrimination against African Americans, which has come as a direct and indirect result of slavery, as well as from segregation and other present day factors. According to the bill, the Commission would also make recommendations concerning any form of apology and compensation to begin the long delayed process of atonement for slavery.

Congresswoman Jackson Lee believes that through legislation, resolutions, news, and litigation, Congress is moving closer to making more strides in the movement toward reparations.

The U.S. has a history of and has set a precedent for providing reparations to several groups, including Japanese Americans and victims of the Jewish Holocaust, who have suffered their own respective challenges as a group.

People of African descent were enslaved and experienced some of the worst ordeals imaginable through the barbaric institution of slavery and should be looked at no different than any other group, in that they have experienced their own set of unique challenges and issues.

From a historical perspective, approximately 4,000,000 Africans and their descendants were enslaved in the United States and colonies that became the United States from 1619 to 1865. The institution of slavery was constitutionally and statutorily sanctioned by the Government of the United States from 1789 through 1865. African Americans continue to suffer debilitating economic, educational, and health hardships, including but not limited to, having nearly 1,000,000 Black people incarcerated, an unemployment rate that is more than twice the current White unemployment rate, and an average of less than 1⁄16 of the wealth of White families, a disparity which has worsened, not improved over time.

While a focus has been made on highlighting the social effects of slavery and segregation, its continuing economic implications remain largely ignored by mainstream analysis. These economic issues are the root cause of many critical issues in the African American community today, such as education, healthcare and criminal justice policy, including policing practices. The call for reparations represents a commitment to entering a constructive dialogue on the role of slavery and racism in shaping present-day conditions in our community and American society.

Congresswoman Jackson Lee points out that despite the progress that has been made in this country, including the election of the first American President of African descent, the legacy of slavery still lingers heavily in this nation. She believes this bill, which seeks to establish a Commission to examine the moral and social implications of slavery, is both relevant and crucial to restoring trust in governmental institutions in many communities, especially during a time where there are many reoccurring issues that affect members of the African American communities in ways that they don’t affect other communities.

“Today there are more people at the table — more activists, more scholars, more CEO’s, more state and local officials, and more Members of Congress,” said Congresswoman Jackson Lee. “I believe that H.R. 40 is a crucial piece of legislation because it goes beyond exploring the economic implications of slavery and segregation. Though the times and circumstances may change, the principle problem of slavery continues to weigh heavily on this country. A federal commission can help us reach into this dark past and bring us into a brighter future.”

This article appeared in the Houston Forward Times.

Jeffrey L. Boney

Posts by Jeffrey L. Boney

Up Next

County Officials Begin Plans To Increase Driver Safety

Don't Miss

Antonio Brown wins Atlanta City Council District 3 special runoff election

Jeffrey L. Boney

1 Comment

Commentary

Opinion: Lessons for Current Student Protesters From a San Francisco State Strike Veteran

How the nation’s first College of Ethnic studies came about, bringing together Latino, African American and Asian American disciplines may offer some clues as to how to ease the current turmoil on American college campuses over the Israel-Hamas war. After the deadline passed to end the Columbia University encampment by 2 p.m. Monday, student protesters blockaded and occupied Hamilton Hall in a symbolic move early Tuesday morning. Protesters did the same in 1968.

Published

24 hours ago

May 3, 2024

Oakland Post

iStock Photo

By Emil Guillermo

After the deadline passed to end the Columbia University encampment by 2 p.m. Monday, student protesters blockaded and occupied Hamilton Hall in a symbolic move early Tuesday morning.

Protesters did the same in 1968.

That made me think of San Francisco State University, 1968.

The news was filled with call backs to practically every student protest in the past six decades as arrests mounted into hundreds on nearly two dozen campuses around the country.

In 1970, the protests at Kent State were over the Vietnam War. Ohio National Guardsmen came in, opened fire, and killed four students.

Less than two weeks later that year, civil rights activists outside a dormitory at Jackson State were confronted by armed police. Two African American students were killed, twelve injured.

But again, I didn’t hear anyone mention San Francisco State University, 1968.

That protest addressed all the issues of the day and more. The student strike at SFSU was against the Vietnam war.

That final goal was eventually achieved, but there was violence, sparked mostly by “outside agitators,” who were confronted by police.

“People used the term ‘off the pigs’ but it was more rally rhetoric than a call to action (to actually kill police),” said Daniel Phil Gonzales, who was one of the strikers in 1968.

Gonzales, known as the go-to resource among Filipino American scholars for decades, went on to teach at what was the positive outcome of the strike, San Francisco State University’s College of Ethnic Studies. It’s believed to be the first of its kind in the nation. Gonzales recently retired after more than 50 years as professor.

As for today’s protests, Gonzales is dismayed that the students have constantly dealt with charges of antisemitism.

“It stymies conversation and encourages further polarization and the possibility of violent confrontation,” he said. “You’re going to be labeled pro-Hamas or pro-terrorist.”

That’s happening now. But we forget we are dealing not with Hamas proxies. We are dealing with students.

Gonzales said that was a key lesson at SF State’s strike. The main coalition driving the strike was aided by self-policing from inside of the movement. “That’s very difficult to maintain. Once you start this kind of activity, you don’t know who’s going to join,” he said.

Gonzales believes that in the current situation, there is a patch of humanity, common ground, where one can be both pro-Palestine and pro-Israel. He said it’s made difficult if you stand against the belligerent policies of Benjamin Netanyahu. In that case, you’re likely to be labeled antisemitic.

Despite that, Gonzales is in solidarity with the protesters and the people of Gaza, generally. Not Hamas. And he sees how most of the young people protesting are in shock at what he called the “duration of the absolute inhumane kind of persecution and prosecution of the Palestinians carried out by the Israeli government.”

As a survivor of campus protest decades ago, Gonzales offered some advice to the student protesters of 2024.

“You have to have a definable goal, but right now the path to that goal is unclear,” he said.

About the Author

Emil Guillermo is a journalist and commentator. A veteran newsman in TV and print, he is a former host of NPR’s “All Things Considered.”