Martin Luther King Junior Would Want Reparations For Foundational Black Americans

The life path one and natural born leader, Martin Luther King, would want reparations for the nation builders and descendants of those builders who still are under harsh living conditions.

The wealth disparities have become just as large, if not larger than what they were in 1968. 

 "1968: Adjusted for inflation, middle-class Black families had an average household wealth of about $6,600 in 1968 compared to around $71,000 in wealth for white middle-class households, according to the Survey of Consumer Finances (a 10.7 times greater amount)."(Adrianna J, Forbes, 2023, para 11).  

According to Brian L(2022) " The richest 1% now own 40% of wealth (Saez and Zucman 2016), and the share of households with no or negative wealth is rising (Keister and Moller 2000; Pfeffer and Schoeni 2016)" (para. 4). 

Whether it is workplace discrimination, unjust hiring practices, or lack of being able to go back to school due to financial constraints, the barriers are just too significant, and the opportunity is too small for those who need it.
 
Dr. King was for the financial liberation of melanated people, and a change is needed to make life better for those who gave America the greatest gift.

That gift is a foundation, which is the root of any nation. Let us give back to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for America to stand. Re-balance the injustices and inequalities before it is too late, and make the world a better place.

There are several sources I will leave in the reference list to look the data and statistics on disparities.

A Look Into Reparations

Reparations, or compensating for past wrongs, have been given to various communities throughout history. These reparations have taken many forms, including monetary compensation, land restitution, and apologies. In this article, we will explore three examples of reparations given to different communities and examine the impact of these reparations on the recipients.

 

 

Reparations For Japanese-Americans  

Forcibly interned During World War II, 120,000 Japanese-Americans were in camps by the United States government (Daniels, 1988). In 1988, the Civil Liberties Act was passed, which provided reparations of $20,000 to each survivor of the internment camps (Daniels, 1988).

 

• Each survivor received $20,000.
• The Civil Liberties Act also included an official apology from the United States government for the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.
• The reparations and apology were a step towards acknowledging the wrongdoing. Making amends for the Government's actions during the war helped bring closure to many survivors and their families. 
  

No Reparations for Black Americans

Black Americans were enslaved and subjected to discrimination for centuries and have not received reparations for these past wrongs. Some groups and activists called for reparations to enslaved foundational black Americans' descendants in monetary compensation, land restitution, and investments in education and business opportunities.

 

• The call for reparations for Black Americans is rooted in the idea that the descendants of enslaved Africans owed compensation for their ancestors' unpaid labor and suffering.
• The premise of reparations for Black Americans is still a topic of debate and has not been implemented nationally in the United States.

• However, some local and state governments, such as Evanston, Illinois, and California, have begun to explore reparations for Black residents.

Reparations for Indigenous peoples Affected By Colonization

Indigenous peoples worldwide have been affected by colonization, including forced removal from their lands, destruction of their cultures, and genocide. In some cases, reparations have gone to Indigenous peoples in the form of land restitution, compensation for damages, and apologies.

 

• In Canada, the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement in 2007 provided compensation to survivors of residential schools and an official apology from the Canadian Government (Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, 2015).
• In Australia, the Indigenous Land Corporation was established in 1995 to provide land restitution to Indigenous peoples, and the Government issued a formal apology to Indigenous Australians in 2008 (Australian Government, 2008).
• These reparations are a step towards addressing the harm caused by colonization and recognizing the rights of Indigenous peoples, but more needs to be done to address the ongoing injustices Indigenous communities face.

 

In conclusion, reparations have been given to various communities throughout history in different forms, such as monetary compensation, land restitution, and apologies. The reparations given to Japanese-Americans interned during World War II. 

 

 Indigenous peoples affected by colonization have been a step towards acknowledging and making amends for past wrongs, but more needs to be done to address the ongoing injustices these communities face.

 

A reparations plan targeting the less fortunate amongst us will improve the lives of all races, and bring balance to the imbalance of financial well being that still exists to this day. The issue with stating that working hard is good enough, is that there are still systems in place that will inhibit black people from getting to a financial abundance still exist, and we have reached a time where the inequities are coming full circle. 

In the following article, I will cover the arguments against reparations, and we will take a deeper dive into the most critical topic of our era.

 

References:

     

• Daniels, R. (1988). The Japanese American Cases: The Rule of Law in Time of War. University Press of Kansas.
• Heather L, Andrew D. (2020). The black-white economic divide is as wide as it was in 1968. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/06/04/economic-divide-black-households/
  
• mrFalconlem. (2018). Martin Luther King Jr. says his dream has become a nightmare !. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgapUdAKUkc
• Levy, B. L. (2022). Wealth, Race, and Place : How Neighborhood (Dis)advantage From Emerging to Middle Adulthood Affects Wealth Inequality and the Racial Wealth Gap. Demography, 59(1), 293–320.  
• Moritz K. (2018). Income and Wealth Inequality in America, 1949-2016. Minneapolisfed.  https://www.minneapolisfed.org/research/institute-working-papers/income-and-wealth-inequality-in-america-1949-2016
  
• Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. (2015). Honoring the Truth, Reconciling for the Future: Summary of the Final