Photo of NYC Times Square by Eddie Blair on Unsplash
This push for reparations is fueled by prominent Democratic Party politicians. Americans agree that slavery and Jim Crow were horrendous stains on our nation’s history. But this movement for reparations, whether local or national, is dangerous. It promotes false expectations and inflames resentment.
While reparations for actual victims of government wrongdoing, such as Japanese Americans incarcerated during WWII, have historical precedent, the notion of giving payouts to the descendants of slaves—who themselves never suffered slavery—is both illogical and unfair. As New York City Council member David Carr rightfully said, “No one currently living in our city had anything to do with the evils of slavery.”
Reparations are not only divisive; they’re unconstitutional. They violate the 14th Amendment, which guarantees equal treatment for all citizens, regardless of race. Take Evanston, Illinois, for example. The city handed out $5 million in reparations based solely on race, sparking lawsuits from non-black residents. Judicial Watch’s president, Tom Fitton, aptly called this racial redistribution “a ploy to redistribute tax dollars.”
The reality is that these schemes aren’t about justice—they’re about social engineering, attempting to enforce “equity” by confiscating wealth from some to give to others. Closing the racial wealth gap through reparations is not a legitimate role of government, and frankly, it’s an unsustainable financial burden. There isn’t enough money to satisfy this utopian dream without bankrupting states and cities across the nation. Reparations are a pipe dream, a bad bet, and will produce more harm than good.
This post originally appeared at https://www.phyllisschlafly.com/family/affirmative-action/reparations-are-a-bad-bet/
