A day after the United Nations’ Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent announced recent police killings of male African-Americans were similar to lynchings of the 19th and 20th century; the group said the U.S. should give reparations to the community because of a history of “racial terrorism,” as reported by The Washington Post.
The report was conducted by the Working Group, which consists of human rights lawyers, to address a human rights disaster that “must be addressed as a matter of urgency:”
“Despite substantial changes since the end of the enforcement of Jim Crow and the fight for civil rights, ideology ensuring the domination of one group over another, continues to negatively impact the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of African Americans today. The dangerous ideology of white supremacy inhibits social cohesion amongst the U.S. population.”
The fact-finding mission by the group discovered the American criminal justice system is not being held accountable for some of its actions. To repair its many years of wrongdoing, the group said the U.S. should hand out reparations to the black community:
“In particular, the legacy of colonial history, enslavement, racial subordination and segregation, racial terrorism and racial inequality in the United States remains a serious challenge, as there has been no real commitment to reparations and to truth and reconciliation for people of African descent.”
The topic of reparations has been considered for years as a way to recoup for past injustices, but has never come to fruition. The group offered some examples of what they think could work as recoups. Some of these included “a formal apology, health initiatives, educational opportunities … financial support and debt cancellation.” It doesn’t appear that any of these preparations are coming soon, but the study by the group presents an interesting discussion that could be had.
(Via The Washington Post)