Rev. Curtis O. Robinson, Sr.

Bluffton is a village in Allen and Hancock counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 4,125 at the 2010 census. Bluffton is home to Bluffton University, a four-year educational institution affiliated with Mennonite Church USA.

Bluffton University boasts a student population of 865 students, of which 50.2% are male and 49.8% are female. The student body is 83.5% white, 6% African American, and 10.5%; Hispanic/Latino, and Ethnicity Unknown. The faculty is 94.7% white, which means, there is no diversity when it comes to the didactic structure of teaching.

So, when I came across an article entitled, “Reparations for Slavery: They Have Already Been Paid,” by Dan Berger, a chemistry professor from Bluffton University, I had to at least do some research into his claims against African Americans receiving reparations.

In his paper, Berger asserts that the white lives lost in the American Civil War more than make up for anything that would allow consideration of reparations.

He claims that the deaths of about 550,000 soldiers and civilians who were, according to him,  90% to 93% white coupled with lost pensions and damaged infrastructure, amount  to an entire bill that could be as low as $200 billion to $500 billion, and maybe even as much as $2 trillion.

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I read where Berger also questions who and how qualifications for reparations would be established. “Remember that there are many Americans who have thought of themselves as ‘White’ for generations, who have African slaves among their ancestors. And there are a good number of ‘Black’ Americans who have no ancestors who were slaves within the territory of the United States.

“Let’s not forget that, if we go back far enough, almost everyone has at least one enslaved ancestor somewhere. Slavery was a worldwide institution and not usually race-based.)”

And he’s right; slavery on a global scale was not raced-based, except for the original 13 colonies. It was in America where slavery became a race-based institution.

We need to know that Berger is not the only isolated Mennonite professor who believes that reparations are irrelevant. There’s a whole lot of predominantly little white towns like this, that believe that the death of soldiers who fought for the Union, represent reparations enough. Mr. Berger, “Time Is Up!” This nation needs a healing that money cannot buy. And no matter what you say, until America wakes up and acknowledges that it is a conspirator to murder, no one will rest….no one! Now, where is my check?!

Curtis O. Robinson, Sr.

Posts by Curtis O. Robinson, Sr.