Will America Ever Pay? Racial Justice and Reparations

Abstract

In this essay, I explore the question of how the government will likely respond to demands by Black activists to compensate the descendants of Black slaves for the historical injustice of slavery in the United States. Public opinion surveys reveal strong racial divisions on the question of whether the U.S. government should compensate or apologize to the descendants of Black slaves. Based on my efforts to gain an officer’s commission for my father’s military service in World War II as well as the recent case of discrimination against Black farmers by the Department of Agriculture, I argue that it is unlikely that the government will compensate Blacks monetarily for the historical injustice of slavery. However, I think that an apology by the U.S. government will ultimately be issued.