After listening to your program on whether or not America needs to give reparations to African Americans for slavery, I felt a need to respond and give my opinion on why I believe that reparations for slavery are not a good idea.

Your program, with debate guests Adjoa Aiyetoro and Robert Sedler, was a very interesting debate for me to listen to. This is because in addition to my knowledge on the arguments of reparations, it gave me a chance to hear some real life scholars giving their opinions on the issue, and helped me form an even more concrete opinion for myself. I believe that reparations should not be given to African American’s today for many reasons. Although the yes side brings in many valid arguments, I believe that arguments against reparations make more sense and are more realistic. For example, the logistics of reparations are outrageous. It would be amazingly difficult to find every descendent of a slave in America and pay them a reparation, whether it be money, land, etc. Also, even though the yes side might argue that the black communities in America are very poor, and as Aiyetoro stated, one-third of African American communities in America are at or below poverty level. Although this may be true, it is a fact that there are many different races that are impoverished in America, it is not just African Americans that are living in poor conditions. From this, we can see that slavery is not the only issue that affects poverty today. Also, shouldn’t the objective be to end this poverty as a whole, and improve all low incomes in America? Why should African Americans receive all the help, shouldn’t we spread the love? Adjoa Aiyetoro made the account that discrimination, and poverty are uniquely born in African Americans, and therefore they should be focused on as the community to receive reparations. Although I believe that black citizens in America indeed have been victims of racism and discrimination in America ever since they have been here, I believe we should attempt to end this, and all discrimination, by way of education, empowerment programs, and such things as museums, like Sedler suggested.

Thank you justice talking for airing this program, it was both intellectually and morally stimulating, and helped me secure my opinions about reparations for slavery.

Sincerely,

Michela, from Bellevue, WA

Dear Justice Talking,

I believe that immediate and direct reparations should not be made to African Americas on account of this nation’s history of slavery. Reparations are not a progressive measure to address racial inequalities, but rather an excuse for African Americans to go backwards for circumstances that prevailed almost one hundred and fifty years ago when you don’t know how to go forward. In fact, I think reparations would also be a step backwards in the quest for racial justice and equality and would actually worsen the current situation in this country. If nothing else, they would cause a massive amount of resentment among whites and other ethnic groups toward African Americans who would be the sole recipient of those payments.

There are, however, a number of other reasons why I believe reparations are a bad idea. First of all the goal of reparations is not well defined. Some claim that these payments to African Americans would constitute an apology on the part of this country for slavery. However, one could argue that the 13th and 14th Amendments are a legal apology for African American bondage allowing this population to liberate themselves legally, politically and economically, over time. Furthermore, one could point to the more than 600,000 deaths in the civil war as an adequate sacrifice for the crime of slavery. Northern whites gave their lives for the emancipation of black slaves and paid at least some of the debts owed to the generations of African Americans with their blood.

Other advocates for reparations claim that it would alleviate poverty among African Americans, a legacy of their ancestor’s condition as slaves. However, either one time or even a series of payments would do little to change the overall economic prospects of the African American community. Like all people, African Americans require better educational and job opportunities in order to raise their general economical status. I would also add that it would be very difficult to determine exactly who would deserve reparations if this measure became policy. For example, there were approximately 12,000 black freedmen living in the confederate states who themselves owned slaves. Would their descendants receive reparations too? And how about African American people of mixed racial descent? Would they receive less than those of a “pure” slave lineage?

These questions make the payment if reparations for slavery a very dicey proposition. In sum, reparations do little or nothing to address the problems that afflict African Americans in the present or future, and could cause a whole host of problems, including worsened racial relations, if they were ever put into effect. For these reasons I strongly suggest that the U.S continue to take steps to improve the lives of African Americans rather than assume that reparations will improve anything.

Sincerely,

David Park

If America does not settle the issue of slave reparations soon, it will just become harder to control. The African Americans have been waiting for payment, and if the issue continues in this direction, there will be no hope to improve these conditions in the future.

Time has been critical in the controversy for slave reparations. While Japanese Americans in WWII and Jews affected by the Holocaust were granted reparations soon after these issues, African Americans were not given their payments once they were released from slavery. If Americans continue in such a heated debate about the subject, we will continue to get further and further away from the matter. Some compromise needs to be made.

If money is the only way to solve this issue, it should then be put into education funds for the African American community in the United States. The African Americans of the US are not directly affected by slavery, and therefore cannot be directly paid for the horrors of America’s past. In education funds, this money will help those that need it to pursue the futures that their ancestors dreamed of hundreds of years ago. By educating themselves as much as they can, the descendants of slaves can create lives for themselves in which they will not need direct reparations for their ancestors’ hardships.

Without money, reparations can only be made in the form of a formal apology and an acknowledgement of the past. We as Americans must learn from these mistakes. Slavery was wrong, and it will never happen again as long as we know how it affected our country. Instead of hiding it away, we must continue to educate Americans, making sure that history does not repeat itself.

Sincerely,

Nicole Kahn

Dear Justice Talking,

The idea of reparations has been widely discussed in recent years. I have listened to the debate between Adjoa Aiyetoro and Robert Sedler, and would like to add my opinion, and thoughts to this issue. Both sides provided strong evidence on whether to support the idea of giving reparations to African Americans, or to not give them reparations. I agree with some points made by both people, but I stand by my opinion not to give African Americans reparations.

The idea of paying African American descendents directly is a preposterous way of a perfect justice. Ms. Aiyetoro stated that money is not the only way to pay reparations. I agree with this, setting up educational programs to fund for a decrease in discrimination, and teach Americans about slavery to prevent it in the future. Figuring out who would receive and pay reparations is an impossible task; therefore, the idea of direct pay is too farfetched. I believe we have paid our reparations with the loss of over 600,000 citizens that died in the fight to end slavery. Also, Americans have targeted the black underclass citizens by funding 6.1 trillion dollars to raise them from poverty.

Overall, I believe that monetary reparations are unreachable, and are undeserved with the actions that have already been made. We should continue to fund educational programs to teach Americans the wrongs of slavery, and discrimination, and fight to end our differences.

Sincerely,

Steve Wolf

Dear Justice Talking,

The debate between Adjoa Aiyetoro and Robert Sedler contained many fair ideas on the issue of whether or not African Americans should be granted reparations. Both sides had reasonable support for their perspectives. However, I have reached a conclusion that the future generation of African Americans should be granted.

Aiyetoro claimed that since the past history of slaves in the United States, the country’s economy has prospered. Slaves contributed a large part of the U.S.’s finance especially in the South. Everyone that lived in the U.S. made money off of slavery. Furthermore, slaves were treated poorly by white owners. According to past history, other groups such as the Jews, Japanese, and Native Americans were approved for reparations. These groups received reparations even though they were not even treated immorally for as long as the African Americans have been. For example, the Jews were affected tremendously by the Holocaust for a short period of time of less than a decade or so. On the other hand, slaves went through the same brutality that Jews went through but for a longer duration. They faced hardships everyday of their lives. So, why do people nowadays still have hatred against blacks? As I see it, the present Jews and Japanese are steady in America’s society.

The topic of whether or not the descendants of African Americans is a hot topic. However, my decision is that African Americans should be granted reparations because past races have received them. This does not make African Americans different from such groups like Jews and Japanese. The descendants of Jews and Japanese are living well in today’s society. Descendants of slaves should be treated the same.

Sincerely,

Steve Hu

After listening to the debate about whether or not reparations to the African American population should be presented, I have reached a conclusion on the matter discussed, myself. Although I understand that the purpose of Adjoa Aiyetoro and Robert Sedler’s debate was not to convert listeners to their taken sides, the debate convicted my original belief. I believe reparations in a monetary sense should not be made; however, acknowledgement of slavery should be shared nation-wide. This education about slavery would prevent history from repeating itself, as it tends to do.

Both Aiyetoro and Sedler made valid arguments regarding the respective topic. But, I agree more strongly with Sedler’s points. Aiyetoro’s main focus was to relate present-day Black discrimination with America’s past wrong: slavery. She felt it was necessary that slave-descendents were re compensated for their ancestors in order to eliminate the current racism present in America. Sedler, in agreement with Aiyetoro about the existence of racism, disagrees with her method of healing the divisions. As do I.

I find it unreasonable and impossible to pay slave-descendents today. Logistically speaking, tracking down the posterity of slaves is near impossible, since so many slave families were broken apart when they were sold (as property). Technicalities aside, the focus on eliminating current-day racism is deterred from. By supposedly paying-back for wrongs in the past, the present and future are disregarded. Also, the targeting of one single race creates more division amongst the entire population. Many other minority groups have been discriminated against also, such as: Hispanics, Filipinos, Jews, Native Americans, Japanese people, etc… And, America has not paid them, monetarily, either. Granted, some money was given to these respective groups right after the damage was done; but, so much time has elapsed, that remunerating slave-descendents has lost meaning. The vast majority of the population was neither a slave-owner nor a slave relative; so, burdening the American deficit further for an indistinguishable population is not realistic.

My biggest reason for not choosing reparations is not because I don’t feel America was wrong in promoting, harboring and profiting off slavery at one point in time. Instead, I feel that if the black population is to rely on white guilt, they will place themselves in a subordinate position. In a way, by asking for a monetary apology or simply dwelling on past mistakes, the black population will never move forward. Racial equality will thus never be attained.

I believe that slavery was a devastating portion of America’s history, and America can not let it happen again- in any form. But, progress is made by the realization of mistakes, and realization does not have to take the form of monetary repayment. America made a mistake in the past regarding slavery: America wronged an entire race. But, if America today was to pay back “supposed” slave-descendents with money that would be wrong. And, two wrongs don’t and never will make a right.

Best Regards,

Jaimie Hwang

A huge controversy that American citizens are battling today is the issue of Reparations for slavery that your show recently covered. As Americans, we have the freedom to share our inner passions and fight for equality which is conveyed in Adjoa Aiyetoro’s argument. In the debate between Adjoa Aiyetoro and Robert Sedler, one can see the passion behind their ideals but even though Adjoa Aiyetoro has strong insight, I would have to say that reparations in forms of money is unnecessary.

Although each reparations in the past have been an individual and unique situation, all the reparations were made right after the wrong doing has been done. Survivors of the Holocaust, the Sioux’s and the Japanese Americans were all repaid for their suffering soon after the harm was done. Slavery was conducted under legal laws and were decades ago. Slave holders shouldn’t be punished for something that was legal and today there aren’t even any slave holders alive so making their children and future generations pay for something they weren’t even alive for would be ridiculous. Paying families that have had ancestors who experienced the terrible oppression wouldn’t solve the problem. The inner cities full of ghettos, gangs and misconduct are a problem not just to African Americans but for everyone who lives in them. America has spent millions to support better job opportunities, education and much more. If the government spent money reparations to every family who has been affected by slavery, America would be in a larger deficit than it already is which would create a larger problem for the nation to face and the still remaining bitterness of inequality. Even though the nation is based on ideals such as liberty, equality, and democracy, it is evident that at a certain extent these ideals can never fully be reached. In every society there is an inferior and a superior. My parents came with nothing to America from Korea, they have been bankrupt many times, they came not knowing how to speak English, and now they live in the suburbs as upper middle class. This shows that there is opportunity for everyone.

Reparations are not just money but are any act of making amends. Reparations can be a museum, an official apology and many other things. Adjoa Aiyetoro flatly stated things such as the above is not a reparation, which makes me as an American Citizen question what her motives are. Does she really want this long lasting bitterness to end so they the African American community can move on or does she just want someone to blame and from that get some money.

Sincerely,

Christine Hahn 12/15/04

In the current era, technology has allowed a myriad of people to expose themselves to new and interesting topics via not only discussion boards but also the newspaper, online news sites, television, and radio. In America, we are given the right to voice our opinions on these subjects, as many have done on this website. Although not one of the most prevalent issues of our time, reparations for slaves have recently been called into consideration. In this letter I will discuss the alternate views on reparations for descendants of African American slaves in the 1800’s, including some of the arguments made by Adjoa Aiyetoro and Robert Sedler. I will also strive to explain why I think it just to exclude reparations from the burdens inflicted upon the American public.

Since the end of the Civil War, the American Government has sought ways to maintain the equality of race. Although some set backs such as legal segregation and the extreme racist acts of the 1960’s did occur, America was based on the vales of freedom and equality and the majority of the people strive to uphold these [values]. The case of slaves descendants living in America is not a unique one. In the 1950’s and ‘60’s, the Japanese held in camps under false accusations were given money to repair the direct economic and emotional damage that had been inflicted. Also in the ‘50’s and ‘60’s, the direct survivors of the prison camps of the Holocaust were given monetary payment as a direct response to the material possessions lost and the emotional trauma suffered. However, unlike these cases, no one facing slavery under American hands is yet living to this day. Aiyetoro’s argument that this (reparations) would be an act of healing is entirely irrelevant. The only bitterness that African Americans hold against people of European descent is against people who are long dead. Why should the contemporary citizens of America pay for crimes committed that were not in their control? Some argue that the repercussions of slavery are still felt in the way that African Americans make up the majority of those below the poverty line. However, there are programs, including affirmative action, that seek to support those in need and try to close the class and race gap. People can not be forced to take advantage of the opportunities presented to them. Also, affirmative action, in it’s own way, reinforces slavery. It directly implies that African Americans and other minorities are not capable of achieving things of merit by themselves; they need the aid of people in power. This is not only discriminating but also detrimental to a person’s sense of self. Aiyetoro also argues that the only kind of satisfactory reparations that could possibly be made is in the form of several thousand dollars to each descendant of a slave. This suggests that a person’s pain, anguish, and loss of dignity can be equated to an amount of money. Hypothetically, if reparations were to be made, they should be in a way that is lasting and would honor those who lost their lives fighting against slavery. Money can be taken away or spent on completely irrelevant material possessions. A program for education or a museum, however, is more permanent. If you give someone an excellent education, that can’t be removed. The 13th and 14th amendments serve as an apology and recognize the ultimate wrongs committed during periods of slavery. Reparations would only serve to increase the mental gap between people of different backgrounds and I wish I could finish this.

Sincerely, Sarah Sames

I have heard the debate between Adjoa Alyetoro and Robert Sedler on the issue of reparation for slavery. There are many ideas which Ms. Alyetoro had given for reparation but they do not have the strength to stand by themselves. The idea of education about slavery is necessary but to make all of American citizens pay for what the original settlers of America had done is far too complicated.

It is true that slavery created hardship and suffering for African Americans but not everyone supported slavery. It is understandable that many slaves had low wage jobs and back-breaking labor which would easily pass the idea of reparation, but there was the Civil War where 620,000 Americans died fighting to end slavery. This that not reparation? If the former slave descendents were to receive money or any kind of payment, some might feel that what they are getting is just the white man’s guilt. This could hurt the equality for African Americans today. Former slaves have created companies and universities which are still successful today; this is an accomplishment which will last for centuries to come. Slaves had helped America’s growth economically. It is also very complex for the society to assume responsibility for the wrong committed by its ancestors because there is a slim chance to retrace the line of descendents from slavery. Unlike the Holocaust, and World War II, the descendent of Japanese and Jews can easily be traced back but the slave families were divided when they were sold to white families. This causes a spread of numerous families.

The fact that reparation for slavery is too complex can easily be argued. Reparation would only create more harm than good. African Americans should feel proud that they had the power to make a difference in the American society. They also created an education for Americans.

Sincerely,

Mei Yee

12/ 17/04

Somehow it just doesn’t seem possible to pay for a human life. Family members lost will stay that way and no amount of money could ever bring them back. When slaves were killed or died due to harsh conditions it doesn’t seem right that we would pay their families for the members lost. Also, in this century it is impossible to track which families had an ancestor that died due to slavery and the conditions of it. When tracked the numbers would be in the billions and where would that money come from? The human race should work together to promote awareness to prevent any of these events from happening again, making sure there is movement in a positive direction. Life in general should be equal for all people. I am in favor of reparations in the form of tolerance and learning, but not in the sense of paying someone for their losses.

Reparations for slavery cannot be made in a material sense, logistically it’s impossible. If America pushes to make something bigger though, something that will last forever then it can be a very helpful idea. All races and ethnic groups need to realize that slavery did happen and they need to put in the effort to make all humans feel a sense of equality. However, that also means just because someone is a certain race it doesn’t mean that they get better treatment than others for something that happened to their ancestors a long time ago. That is racism too, it’s just beneficial for that race, but destructive for the others. Promoting learning about the subjects and why racism is wrong and should be obliterated all together is very beneficial for the future of our nation. People as a whole should be able to take credit for their actions and work to prevent them from reoccurring but also should not focus on the mistakes of the past so much that it would stop them from moving into the future. In conclusion, reparations can be a very good idea but they take time, and do not require anyone trying to make up for a loss. The act of slavery requires people to admit what’s gone is gone so that the loss of civil liberties does not take place again. I am for reparations in the form of knowledge and the study of history, which would require books being written for an overall more tolerable United States and someday on a global level.