Tim

On the last blog, I commented about your NHL comment. I knew you were being tongue-in-cheek. It is kind of hard to tell how people are responding on a blog, it is tough to tell how people are saying things when you can not see them.

About reparations:

A few blogs ago, I discussed this with some people, and it went very well. I do not remember if you got in on it, but I want to run my idea by you. You seem very intelligent, and I would like your opinion.

You state, correctly, that black people need sustainability. Two important things in life are education, and a safe, stable environment. I would pay reparations this way: Black people would not just get a check. There would be an age requirement(18 and over) and, as Thomas Franklin suggested, an income cut-off. X amount of dollars would be set aside for going to college. You could only use it for college, nothing else. It would only be available for X amount of years. If you do not use it, it is gone. Go to college, get a good job, your kids are most likely going to be like you, and they will do the same thing. Another amount would be put aside for a 20% downpayment on a house. You would still have to pay the note, but, since you went to college, and got a good job, you can afford it. This also would be available for X amount of time, and would be subject to an income cut-off. This would integrate neighborhoods, familiarity breeds comfort, and black and white people live side by side happily.

No money handed out willy-nilly, and if you do not take advantage of it,it is all your fault.

Clyde - Good ideas, but not gonna work (and if it did work, it would take FOREVER). Nowhere do you mention addressing their current environment. That has to come first. When you have parents who do not value education, do not push their kids to succeed, live in poor conditions, etc., what makes you think the kids are going to college?

Pay the reparations. It is inevitable. Might as well do it sooner than later. I would give them the money to spend as they see fit, but set up an organization that would counsel them on managing the money and how best to utilize it. If they don’t spend it wisely, that is on them, but at least no more excuses and hopefully we would see some kind of change immediately instead of waiting who knows how many generations.

While the Congressional Black Caucus is taking issue with the resolution, the head of the NAACP has sent out a statement to the media applauding the U.S. Senate’s action and urging the House to follow suit.

“The apology for slavery and the era of Jim Crow segregation is long overdue and is the first step toward healing the wounds of African-American men and women throughout this country,” said NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous.

NAACP’s Hilary O. Shelton, vice president for advocacy, said the resolution “creates a watershed opportunity for Americans of all races, ethnicity and national origins to better understand the historic racial challenges of our nation and work together to craft a solution to the remnants of racism still lingering in our society.”

There is no mention of reparations in the NAACP’s statement.

Steve,

It sounds as though you are stating that Africans who are enslaved are prospering and that the experience of slavery has been good for Africans or any human being who has been enslaved?

It also sounds as though you think that Blacks and Whites have had the same opportunities available to them and that racism has not been a factor in the failures of Blacks as a whole, now of course there are always exceptions to everything.

Just because Africans were willing to sell human beings does not excuse the people who purchased other human beings. Just as if someone came into your home and stole all your electronics, it doesn’t make it right for anyone to purchase knowingly stolen goods. But remember, we are not speaking about things here but other human beings. Your thinking is extremely flawed concerning this issue.

The only thing slavery shows is that there are truly evil people in our world and anyone who would hold a slave have much evil in their hearts and it doesn’t matter if that person was one of your adorned American hero’s such as a founding father. Evil is evil and there isn’t any sugar coating that. Just because it was legal means nothing because that Bible that you all claim this country was founded upon states that if anyone kidnapped another human being to enslave him/her that that person should be put to death, that is how badly God looks upon kidnapping another against their will to place them into slavery.

Of course, the death penalty under GRACE (New Testament) is no longer law but just like murder, forced slavery is a grave deadly sin that will be dealth with at Judgment just as all unrepentant trespasses.

Slave is extremely still very big in the world and the sex trade is the most popular form of slavery in today’s world. Comments such as Steve’s and Lisa’s and others who justify slavery because other Africans helped placed their own people into it is such sick thinking and it is truly saddening that people can have such a mind-set.

Russians, mainly Russian men are selling Russian women into slavery at ridiculous rates, does that at all justify Israelis or Americans partaking in such evil? And when you have governments okaying such evil it is all the worst. And, as far as I am concerned, these governments including the good old U.S.A. are condoning it as proof of the slap on the hands that the guilty receive whenever ones in the slave industry get caught.

D Walker - Steve and Lisa are not “justifying” slavery, but simply pointing out that blacks are complicit as well.

Clyde, I do remember that discussion. There’s nothing wrong with that idea on it’s own. However, the first problem is that there is no budget for it. Secondly, there is the very real problem of figuring out who gets what. Does a mixed person only get 50% of the money as an example, or what if they have ancestors that came here willingly? Granted being black-skinned works against them regardless of the how and why and percentage of their blood, but you can see the difficulties in that.

Another thought: Anyone can get a college loan these days from the government, particularly minorities. True, you have to pay it off, but you can still get the education that leads to a good paying job, etc like in your example.

But the problem is that too many of these kids DON’T do well in grade and high school. There is a fundamental issue, as I mentioned earlier in my post, of staying and doing well in school. There is no value in money available for college education when they have no chance to succeed because they din’t learn enough in high school. That is why I think sustainability is key, because a foundation has to be laid before lofty goals like college and better jobs can ever possibly be acheived. Reparations will not work nearly as well as you might think they will. At least that is my two cents on the matter…

I’d like to introduce a new word to the conversation: amends

The concept of making amends consists of the following:

The person making the amends acknowledges the truth of the past, and understands that a wrong was done. Further, it is understood that the past cannot be changed. Following the acknowledgment of wrong, an effort is made to do better in the future.

For the person on the receiving end, nothing is required. It’s better if they accept the amends as offered, but it is not necessary. The person making amends has done all they can.

Now, the responsibility for moving forward after amends are offered rests on the receiver. THEY have the responsibility to accept also that the past is what it is and cannot be changed. Further, they need to give up their sense of grievance over the past and do their part to improve the future.

How does this apply to slavery reparations? Well, the statement of amends has been made, it can be argued that every Union death in the war of southern rebellion (sorry, couldn’t help that after the earlier mention of the war of northern aggression) was an amend for slavery. Efforts have been made in law and practice to reverse the legacy of slavery and Jim Crow. Now those with the grievance need to do their part. Let go of the resentment and grievance, and start doing your part. Stop blaming others for the failure of your community. Want sustainability? Start by changing things the classic way: one person at a time.

You jumped into this conversation with fine effect, hs. “Amends”? I like it. Well stated.

OK, I am truly pleased that a formal apology has been issued.
Now with that behind us I hope our Congressional leaders can move on to addressing, other issues of real importance like: The war, where our children are being killed daily, the ecomomy, where our neighbors are being forclosed on and being laid off, our standing in the world in general, issues in Iran, and Korea, and the ever dropping status of our school system.
Just as an aside, while we are apologizing, has there been any thought to apologizing to our Native American citizens for the injustices which were perpetrated against them during, and after the Trail of Tears?
Their Chiefs did not sell them out.