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A Nation's Crime
"Reparations are unjust" (Jan. 24 University Chronicle) has a piercing tone to it, especially about slavery. Those acquainted with the history of slavery, its tortures, and roadblocks of freedom that followed would highly disagree. Furthermore, accepting the ideology that "collective guilt" makes reparations unnecessary is simply a cheap excuse. Giving such arguments undermines the realities that blacks endured and is a failure to realize reparations comes from evil acts committed by this nation.
Reparations are not meant to be individual checks for black heirs of slavery. It is a complex issue that seeks for such things as institutions, programs to help blacks have higher chances of succeeding and making them socially, economically, intellectually, and hopefully politically competent, etc...
Many may argue that blacks have been repaid in forms of welfare programs or that they now have equal rights as any other citizen. First, welfare is paid by taxes coming from all citizens which benefits all those in need regardless of color. Secondly, human rights are natural rights blacks should have had in the first place. As John Locke may argue that "all have a natural right of: life, liberty, and property." Some argue that many blacks are not heirs of slavery. As second class citizens, blacks are still politically, socially, and intellectually behind. Mostly all this backwardness can be traced as an impact of slavery. This is similar to saying one drop of acid in a gallon of water makes it all a poison. Others may say, there are many issues this nation is facing and reparations should not be on the list. In some way it is, because it might be too hot to handle. It wasn't an issue when it was directed to the Vietnam war, not to the Japanese case, and certainly not to the Jews. Not to minimize or equate slavery with the Holocaust but the Jews received reparations along with the creation of institutions, programs, including college studies now. The slavery that existed in the U.S. cannot be equated to any world crime so far.
Most people minimize the idea of repaying blacks whose opportunities were locked in the vaults of oppression and persecution for nearly 400 years. Still the same people would have no problem when billions of their tax dollars go to fighting wars in foreign nations the U.S has little or no direct interest to. Yet it is an issue when compensating for crimes on their fellow citizens who even fought for this nation's independence and also in building it on unpaid labor. Blacks have been betrayed by this great nation before, it shall not happen again. The U.S is a great police when enforcing laws or making others, such as the Taliban, pay for their crimes on human rights while their home crimes remain unsolved. In late 2000, the Japanese admitted violating a 1907 Hague Convention on Chinese prisoners forced to work under harsh conditions in World War II. A cash settlement followed.
The U.S should also consider such compensations, anything less would be inhumane.
Ibrahim Bah
MBA
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