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California is discussing the possibility of some sort of reparations for Blacks for the history of slavery and racism. It has sparked some good conversations between me and my sons.
One thing I've said is that _this is a one-shot deal, so whatever they eventually decide to do, people will need some sort of specific training in how to take advantage of it. For example, if they decide on some sort of monetary payment, we can look at lottery winners and see how many of them wind up bankrupted within five years or so. That tells us that writing checks would be destructive if not accompanied by some financial management training before disbursement.
Even things like better access to real estate financing and job training would have a better impact than just sending money. Especially in light of (1) this doesn't mean that racism will suddenly end, or police abuses, or political decisions at the municipal level that deprive minority neighborhoods or resources; (2) this isn't going to change the way banks and financial institutions work; and (3) there will be counterstrikes by right-wingers who will feel as though they are now personally wounded by not sharing in the benefits.
And none of this asks how the state is supposed to pay for whatever it decides to do.
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Apparently, about 68% of Americans believe there should be no reparations to Black Americans for centuries of slavery and racism. Some of them say that Blacks haven't shown any initiative to fix things themselves.
To that, I say "you're ignorant". When we name various prosperous Black neighborhoods and business districts that were burned and the residents killed over the past 150 years, every one of them is an example of Blacks taking the initiative and the local White establishment militarizing to crush them.
But not just those events. Lots of families have the story of the forward thinker who was able to buy a plot of land just after the Civil War and who passed it on to the family until a local White person wanted it (which led to lynchings and legal gyrations in order to gain control). My own family has this story in our background.
#NoteToSelf: ask mom and aunts and uncles what they remember while they still live.
Anyway, there is plenty of reason to consider some sort of reparations, though as I've said above, it should be aimed at repairing some of the economic and social/familial damage rather than just writing a check.