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African Americans suffered at the hands of others, an instance often repeated in history. Slavery was unfair as are many other historical events. Man has committed travesty upon travesty; the Holocaust and the Armenican Genocide to name a few. The questions we should address in this debate are whether reparation payments are due and how are they to be paid?
The Holocaust victims and Japanese Americans who suffered during WW2 have received reparation payments. The discussed reparation payments should not be paid to slave descendants, as these issues are not parallel. Slavery is a century old event. Unlike the Holocaust and the Japanese internment victims, reparations would be paid to people living generations after the atrocity rather than to the direct victims. African Americans should not get the credit for back-breaking labour their ancestors endured and they have no hard proof the legacy of slavery continues to hinder their progress in life. Current society provides the means for anyone to have a good education, get health care benefits, and live in adequate housing. What breaks one’s future are personal actions rather than the effects of former injustices. With the absence of evidence supporting allegations that slavery continues to put African Americans at a true disadvantage, reparation payments should not be endorsed. Doing so would be living off sympathy and the fruits of others’ labor.
In the case that reparation payments are approved, many implications arise. How are we to determine who should get these payments? Should there be minimums as to how much of one’s ancestry stems from slaves or whether Caucasians immigrating to the United States after 1864 would be obligated to pay? How will payments differ? These uncertainties bring to light the complications of this issue.
Unless studies convince the majority of US citizens that African Americans are still at a disadvantage, I cannot support reparation payments. With society on the move and slavery a hundred fifty years behind our times, we have no true victims of this historical injustice. Even with approval, reparation faces questions even proponents would have difficulty answering.
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African Reparations for Slavery is a must Greetings | Nov 30th, 2006
Do not be deceived, the European Governments had more then MANY CHANCES to compensate the ACTUAL LIVING AFRICAN SLAVE SURVIVORS but chose otherwise. Instead the Racist European Governments of those times compensated the Slave Owners and NOT the AFRICAN SLAVE SURVIVORS which also effected the African Descendants of Slaves whom ended up having NO SUBSTANCIAL INHERITANCE.
The European Governments historical ACTIONS of enslavement of Black Africans STEMED from RACISM and DISCRIMINATION. The BLACK HOLOCAUST created among our people in Africa and the Diaspora, PAST AND PRESENT: Genocide, Famine, Poverty and other horrible tragedies. All these problems reflect as the RESULT OF: Slavery, Colonialization, and Former Colonialization.
If these European Governments want to prove that they are not still Racist today, they must compensate the African Descendants of Slaves or they will still hold that terrible label as RACIST as many of their FOREFATHERS were.
There are a lot of African Descendants of Slaves whom are at a great disadvantage in different ways. Look at the AFRICAN CONTINENT you will find MANY THERE, look in THE CARIBBEAN you will find MANY THERE also and so on.
Who should pay out Reparations?
All of the European Governments that directly benefited off the backs of African Slaves.
Who should get this Reparations?
Should have been our African Enslaved Ancestors but now it is the nearest of kin which are the African Descendants of Slaves that can trace back there lineage to actual African Slave Survivors.
How should Reparations be paid?
In more then one form and lasting for a certain period of time, from debt relief in Africa to free education and so on... that is just a few suggestions on how these monies should be spent; for the greater good towards equality and justice.
How should Reparations pay out be done?
Well one good way is the European Governments could set up a special private trust for only African Descendants of Slaves that will easily be accessable to us. The trust should be financed by funds drawn annually from the general revenue of all these European Governments for just a certain period of time and a certain set amount that can all be negotiated.
This is a very detailed thing that can really work out if they would take the time out to listen and have real dialogue.
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