First Thoughts on the Debate About Reparations

I am honestly still torn on which way to go when it comes to restitution for descendants of slaves. Both of The Atlantic articles that I read made solid points. It is undeniable that slaves were treated horribly and defrauded out of their rights, but the article also details unethical things that continued to happen to slaves and their ancestors well after slavery was over, and still happen now. The article is in favor of it made a lot of sense, especially because there are tangible ways that African-American families can receive benefits that were taken from them years ago Some of these examples include giving back land to families that it was taken from and trying to solve housing injustices. I definitely think that it is unjust that black people have been unable to live where they want and have the rights that they deserve. There as so many consequences of slavery that continue to exist today and I feel like if these problems can be solved, they should be. However, I can’t help but wonder about the practicality of trying to fix things. For example, if they attempt to give back land, what happens to the people who currently reside there? The second article brings up some really good points against reparations. The main argument is just about how feasible it really is to make these things happen. The article brings up deep-rooted issues that cannot be solved simply by the government or another organization attempting to give them something, even if it is an opportunity. There is a fundamental difference in the way that African-Americans act and are treated, and even if it does stem from a long history of injustices, it might not be fixed with reparations. One type of reparations has already been attempted: affirmative action. Even people in favor of affirmative action cannot deny that it has flaws. The article also brings up other races. Unfortunately, Other races in America have also suffered and it is hard to give African Americans reparations and not others. The article also brings up how to decide which people deserve reparations and which are lower on this list. Both of these articles bring up incredibly convincing arguments and I want to look closer at the CQ researcher to really find where I stand. I think a strong argument could be made for both so I need to continue to research and decide which one I believe more strongly.