By: Black Information Network | Chicago Defender
Missouri Democratic Rep. Cori Bush has introduced a bill calling for $14 trillion in reparations for Black Americans to compensate them for the reverberating effects of slavery.
“The United States has a moral and legal obligation to provide reparations for the enslavement of Africans and its lasting harm on the lives of millions of Black people,” Bush said on Wednesday (May 17) during a press conference, per NPR. “America must provide reparations if we desire a prosperous future for all.”
During the press conference, Bush highlighted the long-lasting impact slavery has had on Black Americans as seen with the racial wealth gap, voter suppression, infant mortality rates, and more.
“It’s unjust and it wouldn’t happen in a just and fair and equitable society,” she said. “Those are not the natural consequences of human society.”
“They are directly caused by our federal government’s role in the enslavement and exploitation of Africans and Black people throughout our history,” the Democratic lawmaker added.
The conversation around reparations has picked up steam in the past couple of years, with dozens of cities and states considering their own reparation programs. However, over 90 percent of Republicans say they oppose reparations, while Democrats are split nearly evenly on the issue, according to NPR.
I’ve haven’t owned a slave and you have never picked cotton
I’m not paying anyone for reparations. Get over yourself and study your history. England had more slaves than we did. Also your own people owned slaves.
Who pays reparations for all the Soldier’s that died to free the slave of the time?
This is a two party event, you have the ones that sold the slaves and the ones that bought the slave. Both parties were wrong, so, why isn’t both sides being asked to pay reperations
Lincoln offered reparations to the actual people that were held in slavery.
Everybody that was from African-American descent were not slaves at the time.
To get paid based on the shade of your skin is basically putting a dollar value on ones life.
Are you willing to pay for what the people did by selling the same people.
My family fought to free the same people you want reparations for
So we give all this money to people that are decent ancestors of slaves, then what? Will this poverty, homelessness, lack of health care, crime, uneducated just go away. Will this stop the discrimination, in both directions? Will this stop the constant statement that they deserve more, that they were being discriminated against. Will they use the money to better themselves?
And then what will we do to the jews that were murdered for their religious beliefs? Or the native Americans that were and are denied their rights. Or the gays? If you want something better you have to help yourself. There are MANY programs and
assistant to help you. Money is not always the answer
I do belive the slave she’s referring to came from the south (Confederate) I have no problems with paying them their 14 Trillion dollars but since they were Confederates they should be paid in Confederate money!