In a recent interview, Democratic presidential nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris stated that she believes that reparations for descendants of slaves should be studied. The reparations argument has been one that has gone on for decades. There have been so many reparations plans proposed, with many believing that reparations should extend to Black Americans because the policies that were enacted in the past, like Jim Crow and redlining, have made it difficult for Blacks to accumulate wealth at the pace that other races have. But would reparations really accomplish anything? The fact is that the main reparations talking point is a lump-sum payment to Black Americans. A California task force, for example, proposed $1.2 million in financial compensation for descendants of slaves. The fact is that no amount of money could ever make up for the harm done to enslaved Blacks, and no amount of money can make up for the lives destroyed by discrimination in America. The reason why talks about reparations are so laughable in the United States is because it always revolves around money. Real reparations involve creating a means for Blacks to achieve the same prosperity as races that weren’t discriminated against. The fact of the matter is that just about every state in the U.S. has overhauled its criminal justice system to root out even the smallest forms of discrimination. There are countless programs that provide funding and assistance only to Black Americans and Black-owned businesses. There are so many programs that empower Blacks to achieve more and receive preferential treatment. This is what reparations should look like, not a big check with millions of dollars that may get squandered.
Armstrong Williams (www.armstrongwilliams.com; @arightside) is a political analyst, syndicated columnist and owner of the broadcasting company, Howard Stirk Holdings. He is also part owner of The Baltimore Sun.