Since African Americans fought for freedom from slavery in the 19th century, many have called for reparations–financial compensation for the years of chattel slavery. Although former slaves were promised 40 acres and a mule to help them rebound from being enslaved, the program was short-lived, and many have been wondering if African Americans–like their Jewish counterparts–would ever see proper compensation for suffering such heinous atrocities in this country.
While we will probably never see financial compensation for slavery, many have argued that blacks in America should receive reparations in the form of a free college education or student loan debt forgiveness, while other still hold fast to the “40 acres and a mule” philosophy and want land.
In June, the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America (NCOBRA) is holding a conference to examine why African Americans should still be granted reparations more than 150 years after slavery ended.
“After the passage of the 13Th and 14Th amendments, laws were passed to re-enslave people of African descent through Jim Crow laws. The New Jim Crow is a result of the low-intensity war against the Black community under the guise of a ‘War on Drugs,’ in addition to ongoing discrimination, and an extension of the slavery experience for Black people,” NCOBRA writes.
NCOBRA’s reparations conference takes place in Philadelphia June 22-24.
What are your thoughts on reparations? Do you think African Americans will ever see some form of reparations by the U.S. government?