By PoliZette Staff | April 8, 2019
Yet another Democrat candidate for president in 2020 — this time Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) — has brought up the topic of possible reparations for slavery for black Americans.
And on Monday, he took the discussion one step further: He announced he is introducing a bill that would examine the potential for reparations for the descendants of slaves in America.
These last few weeks, the topic has caught on among other 2020 Democratic presidential candidates.
Said Booker on Monday in a statement, “Since slavery in this country, we have had overt policies fueled by white supremacy and racism that have oppressed African-Americans economically for generations. Many of our bedrock domestic policies that have ushered millions of Americans into the middle class have systematically excluded blacks through practices like GI Bill discrimination and redlining. This bill is a way of addressing head-on the persistence of racism, white supremacy, and implicit racial bias in our country.”
Related: ‘Shameful’ That Dems Keep Toying with Reparations
He added, “It will bring together the best minds to study the issue and propose solutions that will finally begin to right the economic scales of past harms and make sure we are a country where all dignity and humanity is affirmed.”
The Booker bill is the Senate counterpart of a House bill — H.R. 40 — which Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas introduced in January.
If passed into the law, the bill would create a commission to study the impact of slavery and continued discrimination against black Americans; it would then recommend reparation proposals.
At least eight other Democratic presidential contenders have also thrown in on the topic of reparations.
Those individuals include Sen. Kamala Harris (California); Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Massachusetts); Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vermont); former San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro, former housing secretary under then-President Barack Obama; Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana; former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (Texas); and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (Hawaii).
Related: Beto O’Rourke Would Support Reparations for Slavery if Elected
“Since the initial introduction of this legislation in 1989, the importance of examining the institution of slavery in the United States has been recognized across a broad range of our society,” Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee said in a statement. “I am pleased that Sen. Booker has introduced a Senate Companion to H.R. 40. I salute his dedication to elevating the discussion of reparations and reparatory justice.”
Harris of California recently told “The Breakfast Club” that government reparations for the descendants of African-American slaves would be a key component of addressing racial discrimination.
Harris also told The New York Times about the matter, “We have to be honest that people in this country do not start from the same place or have access to the same opportunities.”
For her part, Warren of Massachusetts not only supports reparations for African-Americans whose ancestors were slaves, she even broadened the reparations scope to include the descendants of Native-Americans whom European settlers displaced.
And Castro recently told The Root that the country “would be better off” if the federal government made reparations to African-Americans.
“It’s self-defeating because you have to continue to see yourself as a victim waiting around in life to be resurrected by the beneficence of the larger society, by white guilt.”
Critics of the move on reparations say the measure could cost trillions of dollars. Conservative author and columnist Shelby Steele also recently told Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle” that it is “unimaginable” that anyone “would have the hubris to think you could resolve slavery” by making reparations.
Advocating for reparations means “holding onto an idea of justice that’s absolutely impossible,” he warned.
“Not only is it impossible, but it’s self-defeating because you have to continue to see yourself as a victim waiting around in life to be resurrected by the beneficence of the larger society, by white guilt,” Steele, who is black, also said.
This piece originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.
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Yea, like this will help bring this country closer together.
Yea, like this will help bring this country closer together.
1776 the ENGLISH colonies became the U.S.A then 89 yrs. later slavery was ended.
Will the blacks that owned black slaves have to pay?
Check out who the first person to sue to keep a slave a slave, a black slave owner.
1964 the U.S. again bends over for the bs slave scam.
If this were to pass that would start people to not pay taxes and then a new revolution.
I thought the Great Society by Johnson in 65 was reparations. After all, it put the slave dependents first in line for job promotions rather qualified or not, ahead of better qualified college applicants
I thought the Great Society by Johnson in 65 was reparations. After all, it put the slave dependents first in line for job promotions rather qualified or not, ahead of better qualified college applicants
They should ask Booker how/where the money is gonna come from. How long will the payments last? How much will be paid? Exactly who will be paid? Start asking about money and see how he does. If he can not answer any of these simple questions, then you can show people that he is just pandering for votes and he is not serious about this.
I particularly like the comment seen below: "so people who never owned slaves get to pay people who never were slaves." Good point, don't you think?
I am so sorry why do the Democrats keep bringing this up. You were sold by your Black descendants two people all over the world to be slaves. You act as though the United States is the only country that had slaves know that is untrue every country had slaves and Africa sold their brothers to every country to be slaves. They made the money. If you would’ve traveled a little farther north you would’ve been free you would have lived a better life. But the people that came After your ancestors were Democrats from the south of the United States. Why are you all Democrats that continue to ask for this. I don’t think any of you want to go to back to Africa now and Lab after your ancestors were Democrats from the south of the United States. Why are you all Democrats that continue to ask for this. I don’t think any of you want to go to back to Africa now and live. So shut up
I am so sorry why do the Democrats keep bringing this up. You were sold by your Black descendants two people all over the world to be slaves. You act as though the United States is the only country that had slaves know that is untrue every country had slaves and Africa sold their brothers to every country to be slaves. They made the money. If you would’ve traveled a little farther north you would’ve been free you would have lived a better life. But the people that came After your ancestors were Democrats from the south of the United States. Why are you all Democrats that continue to ask for this. I don’t think any of you want to go to back to Africa now and Lab after your ancestors were Democrats from the south of the United States. Why are you all Democrats that continue to ask for this. I don’t think any of you want to go to back to Africa now and live. So shut up
I think Cory Booker is looking for a hand out for himself on this reparation business. I personally think it is a waste of time. We are talking about slaves back in the 1600, 1700 and 1800 times. What is reparations going to do for those people huh. Oh, that's right
they have been dead for centuries. It is all BS!!!