Post by Susan Peabody on Jun 30, 2020 2:01:07 GMT
After the Civil War and the 13th amendment freed the slaves, Lincoln offered them reparations. He wanted them to have 40 acres and a mule. After he was assassinated this idea was dropped. It comes up every now and then and I wanted to talk about this.
Most people today think they had nothing to do with slavery and so why should they have to pay money to the ancestors of slaves. But this is not about individuals; this is about a society that grew rich off the back of slaves and who has continued to control them rather than make amends.
If we can give a stimulus check to every American why can't we give reparations to 13% of our population that we have mistreated for a long long time. I think this has to be part of the healing process. I didn't always feel this way until I realized that when I pay for my sons psychiatric treatment it is like reparations for what I did to him as an unfit mother. There has to be a reckoning. I'm in this society, money is very important. So this is the best way to make a fresh start as we try once again to offer equality to all our citizens.