Reparations for Slavery: Owning Our Collective Story

Inclusive leaders must be curious by nature and always on the lookout for opportunities to expand their understanding of complex issues. This time of year, with the quick succession of Juneteenth and the Fourth of July holiday, might be the most patriotic time of the year in the United States. The contrast and conflict between what these two holidays represent offer a rare and precious opportunity for those who care deeply about truth, justice, and liberty for all.

One of our core skills for inclusive leaders is Own Your Story. If we are individually and socially committed to advancing equity and justice for all, then we must be accountable for our collective past. As we approach the Juneteenth holiday, we have the good fortune to critically engage with our history and consider addressing its impact on some of our most underestimated communities. Though the argument for reparations to enslaved people in the United States is first credited to George Fox, founder of the Quaker faith, in 1672, in recent decades it has once again become a point of discussion and division.

The issue of reparations for slavery has long been debated in the United States, but it has gained new momentum in recent years. Reparations are remuneration, monetary and otherwise, that are given to a group that has suffered harm. For example, The Civil Liberties Act of 1988 granted each surviving Japanese-American who was interned during World War II $20,000 and a presidential apology. But what of the descendants of enslaved Africans,  who were brought to America and forced to work for generations without compensation and weren’t considered free in the “land of the free and home of the brave”?

The core argument of the reparations movement is that America's wealth was built on the backs of slave labor and that Black Americans have been systematically denied access to that wealth. Black slaves were the engine of the American cotton industry, the most profitable enterprise of the 19th century, and one whose value has been equated to the oil industry in the 20th century. They also contributed to other sectors of the economy, such as mining, manufacturing, banking, and transportation. The federal government and other large institutions, like universities and corporations, also benefited from slavery and its aftermath.

However, slavery did not end with the Emancipation Proclamation or the Civil War. It has been followed by a long history of racial discrimination and oppression that continues to this day. Black Americans have faced segregation, lynching, disenfranchisement, redlining, mass incarceration, police brutality, and other forms of structural racism that have created a racial wealth gap and denied them equal opportunities. According to a 2019 study by the Institute for Policy Studies, the median wealth of white households was 10 times higher than that of Black households.

Organizations behind the American Descendants of Slaves (ADOS) movement argue that these historical and present injustices require a moral and legal response from the U.S. government and society. They say that reparations are not only a matter of compensation, but also a way of acknowledging the truth, healing the wounds, and repairing the damage caused by slavery and its legacy. And that reparations are a way of investing in the future of Black Americans and the nation as a whole.

There are lots of questions underlying the reparations movement. How would reparations work? Who would be eligible? How much would they cost? And who would pay? These are some of the questions that have been raised by opponents and supporters of reparations. There is no consensus on the answers, but some proposals have been put forward by scholars, activists, politicians, and organizations.

One proposal is to establish a federal commission to study and develop recommendations for reparations. This is the aim of H.R. 40, a bill that has been introduced in Congress since 1989 by Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) and later by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX). The bill has gained more than 200 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives and has been endorsed by President Joe Biden.

Another proposal is to provide direct payments to individual descendants of slaves. Some estimates suggest that each eligible person could receive between $17,000 and $250,000, depending on the criteria used. The total cost could range from $1.4 trillion to $14 trillion, depending on the number of recipients and the amount per person.

And a third proposal is to provide collective benefits to Black communities, in the form of scholarships, grants, loans, land trusts, access to health care, housing, infrastructure, and cultural programs. These benefits could be funded by taxes on corporations or wealthy individuals who are shown to have profited from slavery or racism. 

Regardless of the specific form or amount of reparations, supporters argue that they are necessary and overdue. They say that reparations are not only about money, but also about acknowledging our shared history and centering the restoration of dignity, justice, and reconciliation. They say that reparations are not only for Black Americans but also for all Americans who want to feel confident in our nation’s stated values.

Opponents argue that reparations are impractical and divisive. They say that reparations are impossible to implement because it is difficult to determine who should receive them and who should pay them. They contend that reparations are unfair because they would punish current generations for the sins of their ancestors. And they enact the “slippery slope” argument, acknowledging our history’s troubling past treatment of many minority groups and wondering whether we can possibly provide reparations for all of our nation’s past transgressions.

Regardless of your position on reparations, it is clear that slavery and its consequences have shaped America's history and present—and that racial disparities and injustices persist in many areas of society and life today. It’s also likely that your organization, no matter how inclusive it is, and its processes aren’t completely free from bias or the systemic implications of racism. As an aspiring inclusive leader, you have an opportunity to exert influence to drive greater access to opportunity for yourself and those you lead. This, the arguably most patriotic time of year, offers us countless opportunities to critically engage with our history and the impact of that history on all Americans.

Resources to Help You Learn More:

From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the 21st Century
‘From Here to Equality’ Author Makes a Case for Reparations on NPR
Descendants-of-Slavery Movement Undermines the Spirit of Black History Month
A Case Against Reparations