Reparations for African Americans has long been a sticking point for a redress to this nation’s reckoning with both its historical wrongs and its contemporary consequences. Reparations are not merely a financial discussion; they represent an acknowledgement of past injustices, a commitment to rectify those injustices, and a step toward healing and equity.
The legacy of slavery, followed by the era of Jim Crow, continues to shape economic opportunities and disparities, as the wealth gap between white families and Black families in America reaches $1 million, on average.
Several local and state governments have sought to remedy the problem with a focus directly on methods of reparations from California to Illinois — to right here in North Carolina, in cities like Asheville and High Point. However, some argue that the primary responsibility for reparations falls on the federal government — the original perpetrator and authority of the enslavement of Black people in America.
Though the reparations movement has notably gained momentum, a public opinion gap still overwhelmingly divides white and Black Americans. In 2000, only 4% of white Americans supported reparations compared to 67% of Black Americans. Over 20 years later, in 2022, 18% of white Americans supported reparations, compared to 77% of Black Americans, according to a Pew Research Center survey.
On this episode, experts in the research on reparations discuss their findings on the direct link between slavery and the current racial wealth gap, including who should foot the bill. Also, we hear from a Charlotte pastor who has taken this message of redress to congregations — and for better or worse, how it was received.
GUESTS:
Rev. Dr. Benjamin Boswell, creator and founder of Confronting Whiteness
William A. (“Sandy”) Darity Jr., Samuel DuBois Cook distinguished professor of public policy, Duke University
A. Kirsten Mullen, writer, folklorist, museum consultant, and lecturer whose work focuses on race, art, history and politics