The African-American Warrant f essays

The African-American Warrant f essays History 110 (Honors Option) Dr. Siri Briggs Brown Critical Response Paper The African American Warrant for Reparations In his article, Molefi Kete Asante attempts to present a detailed argument as to why African-Americans are due reparations. He states that there are moral, legal, economic, and political ideas that combined, warrant payment of reparations to the descendants of the Africans who worked under duress for nearly 250 years and that the only remedy for such an immense deprivation of life and liberty is an enormous restitution. It is his belief that the idea of reparations is a restorative justice issue. However, his argument is no different that any other: same story, different author. As an African-American, I do not believe in reparations. I am an us in the view of reparationists only because I am Black. I feel that many of the supporters of this argument are salivating at the thought of receiving a check, even if they cant identify a single slave from their family tree. Then there are those who are desperate for excuses to explain their personal failures and shortcomings. You hear it all the time, the White man did this and the White man is the reason for that and They owe us! No one owes us anything. Asante neglects the fact that Blacks as a whole are not in the same category as Jews or Japanese Americans who received compensation. These groups received reparations for specific acts of injustice that they, not their ancestors, suffered, and rightfully so. In cases such as Rosewood, Florida and Tulsa, Oklahoma, where Blacks have a clearly defined grievance, there is a legitimate right for compensation to be demanded. We should just get over it and move on. The truth of the matter is that we are much better off for being part of the they, meaning Americans, than we would had our ...