Some Exponential Benefits of Reparations

A lot of white people that I talk to about reparations contend that paying reparations to descendants of slaves would transfer wealth unfairly to people who have not earned it at the expense of the white people who pay it. Both of those contentions are based on flawed logic. The first flaw in the logic is that it is an unfair transfer of wealth. Black people have systemically had their wealth stolen from them through labor practices, business practices, and outright theft of property. The second flaw is that only white people would pay reparations. Reparations would be paid from the treasury which would collect the money from tax payments. Even Black people will be paying reparations.

I don't make my bias toward the payment of reparations any secret. What some people may not understand, though, is that I think paying reparations is not only the right thing to do, I also think it would help fix some other problems that plague society. Here are some of the exponential benefits for society in general that would follow the payment of reparations.

Mary McLeod Bethune: The First Lady of the Struggle

Mary Jane McLeod (1875-1955) was the fifteenth of seventeen children born to former slaves, Sam and Patsy McLeod, on their farm in South Carolina where they raised cotton and rice. Her mother did the laundry for several white families. She would take Mary with her, and, in some homes, she was allowed to play with the white children. It was during one of these times that an incident occurred that would shape Mary’s future.

She was invited into a nursery of a white child who wanted her to play with her toys. Mary saw some books, took one, and opened it. The white child snatched it from her saying she didn’t know how to read. At that point, Mary determined the biggest difference between white children and black children was the ability to read, and she became inspired to learn.

Important Milestones in African American Education

The Plessy Decision

Homer Plessy looked like an average white man, but he was part of a conspiracy to challenge Jim Crow laws that relegated black people to second-class citizen status. Once he was seated with his first-class train ticket that day in June of 1892, he told the conductor that he was one-eighth black!

It worked! The US Supreme Court heard the case in 1896, but it upheld that the Louisiana law segregating black people from white people was Constitutional provided there were "separate but equal" accommodations.

It was a devastating blow to African American freedom and education; one from which there would be several milestones reached by many, many stepping stones. 

Pence’s Disingenuous Protest: Dividing Society by Distraction

Piecing together what I've heard without verifying that it all really happened this way, Pence flew into his home state to watch Peyton's number get retired in a game between the Colts and the 49ers.

Some people say he specifically chose the 49ers game because of the symbolic relationship with Kaepernick, but it was the game at which Peyton's number was to be retired and he is from Indiana. It was convenient that the game was against the 49ers, but that part is coincidence. I will concede him that.

That he had his entourage remain in their vehicles while he went in, stood for the anthem, and left both in protest and to attend a pre-scheduled fund-raising event, makes his protest disingenuous. It would be similar to someone showing up for a dinner party, protesting the setting of the table, and then leaving so he can be on time for his real plans.

Is Blind Patriotism Patriotic?

I remember back in my Toastmasters’ days, we began meetings with the pledge of allegiance. We always said it, but a group of us younger members thought it a bit hokey. It became a topic of discussion for the group.

One of the older members named Nina Tucker scolded us. She said we were spoiled brats who never spent a day wondering if we would be able to say it the next day. She recalled that experience as a younger person during WWII. It was compelling, to say the least.

Quotes from Dr. King and What They Mean to Me

As we celebrate this day the great American civil rights leader’s 87th birthday, it is appropriate to write about him. However, so much is already written about him, and in much greater detail than I care to delve into on my personal website. I don’t intend to compete with sites dedicated to thorough examination of people or ideas, but rather use it to document my thoughts and ideas on various topics.

Therefore, it is much more appropriate for me to cite some of my favorite quotes from Dr. King, and to expound on those quotes with commentary about what those quotes mean to me.

Malcolm X: A Lesson for White People

As a beneficiary of white privilege, I have no standing (or street cred, if you prefer) to write an article about Malcolm X from any other perspective than that of an enlightened admirer of the man. I do, however, feel justified in writing an article about him for the purpose of encouraging people of my race to reconsider their prejudices and preconceived notions about him.

Many white people today consider Black History Month as racially charged and unnecessary. That is unfortunate because history as we learned it in school was from the white man’s perspective. I have been guilty myself of minimizing in the past things like slavery, segregation, and black militancy. I like to think of myself as somewhat enlightened on these topics today, and hope that others who have not sought the light themselves will consider doing so. Many white people claim our race is discriminated against these days. If they relate what many of them claim to feel on a societal level, and magnify it a thousand times, it still wouldn't equal the mistreatment people of color have endured throughout this country's history.