Rectifying Student Loans Through Reparations
The Only Reparations We Should Accept is Education Benefits
The United States has been thinking about giving Black people who are descendants of slaves reparations. In my opinion, education is the best way to pay the black community back whether it is free education or forgiving loans and student debt.
I got a chance to sit down with different historians and they all shared their peace on whether or not they would like to see reparations made.
Dr. Barry Lee, a history professor at Morehouse college said “Reparations isn’t a new idea, as we look back in history when the Civil War had ended, a man named General William Tecumseh Sherman asked for 40 acres and the loan of an Army mule set aside for each former slave family” he followed by stating “that’s how 40 acres and a mule came about.”
There were actually many times in history where reparations were attempted. Sources say in 1894 many black organizations pushed Congress to provide pensions for former slaves and their children. A bill that was introduced into the U.S. Senate offered $500 to all ex-slaves plus monthly pensions ranging from $5 to $15. However, it never came in to place. It was discussed for about 20 years until World War I started.
In the 1960s some black activist brought back the idea of reparations. In 1969, James Forman who was on the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee came up with the “Black Manifesto.” The “Black Manifesto” demanded $500 million from American churches for playing a role in slavery. It was actually such a great idea Forman had got the attention and support of black nationalist organizations, such as the Black Panther Party.
Dr. Lee asked me “Have you ever heard of Reparations Ray?” He then went on to say “The Supreme Court in the 1980s gave reparations to different Indian tribes.” When I researched it the Supreme Court made the federal government pay the Sioux Indians, but they declined.
In 1988, Congress approved the payment of $1.2 billion to 60,000 out of 120,000 Japanese-American citizens remaining (rest deceased), who had been placed in prison camps during World War II.
Dr. Lee said, “these two events sparked the Black American reparations in the 1980s.”
In April 1989, a man named Ray Jenkins brought a resolution to the Detroit City Council. He wanted a 40 billion dollars to go to a federal education fund for black college and trade school students.
In this day of age I would ask for more than just 40 billion dollars, but the price of education today is obviously a lot higher than it was back in the 1980s.
This is what Black people should push for today. If there are reparations made it needs to go towards something positive like education. Being a student whose family is in college loan debt, I believe not only should we receive money towards school, but also forgiven for any student debt or loans we (family of slaves) are in.
Even though our country is becoming more unified it should still be on notice that the Black American population on average has higher infant-mortality rates, a lower life expectancy, higher rates of unemployment, lower income, and higher rates of imprisonment than the white population.
I believe a large reason for all of these statistics is because we also have a much lower graduation rate. A large reason for this is because with our (black people) lower incomes it is much harder to send our children to college.
Most black people do not want reparations just because they feel as if that is something to be held over their heads. I believe reparations can work, but it must go towards education or anything else that is significantly positive to one's life.
PJ Tucker, From Boston, MA, Junior at Morehouse College, Big Nupe, Yooooo
