| Reparations to African Americans...an idea whose time hasn't come. Slavery was a horrible institution which took place over four hundred years ago. Of course, that's one of the points...over "four-hundred years" ago. No one who participated in slavery is alive today. African-Americans are a major part of the American fabric, economically and otherwise. Yes, slavey was, and is wrong! Individuals from J.F.K., L.B.J., and Bill Clinton have said so! Yes, African-Americans were bought to the United States in chains. But, at Ellis Island, immigrants, Italians, Irish, etc., etc.,... although coming to America of their own free will, were forced to "work", many times for free, in at least as bad of conditions as Blacks...should they be paid reparations? Union soldiers fought against slavery in the bloodiest war in American History, should they be paid reparations? John Brown and his sons gave up their lives fighting against slavery, should they be paid reparations? How about the people who ran the underground railroad, who freed thousands of slaves and fought for the thirteeth ammendment? How much should they get? What African- Americans should be doing is celebrating the fact that we've come from slavery to head Fortune Five Hundred Companies, like American Express and Beatice Foods. We have become a President of an Ivy League school, Brown University. And, we can't discount the areas of sports and entertainment,or Colin Powell, former Federal Reserve Officers, Andrew Brimmer, Franklin Raines, Michael Powell,and Secretary Of Education, Ron Paige. Yes, we were bought here in chains, but we've freed ourselves and achieved! |
