First, he declared “there’s not much question that the wealth of this country, the power of this country was built in significant part...on the backs of [the enslaved]." What does he believe that means for Black folks today?
The ongoing systemic oppression and discrimination of Black folks, he explained “result[s] in families not able to build up wealth, not being able to compete, and that has generational effects.”
But when asked whether he regrets not pushing harder for reparations while in office, he made this confession.
“What I saw during my presidency was the politics of white resistance and resentment, the talk of welfare queens and the talk of the undeserving poor,” he reflected, “all that made the prospect of actually proposing [reparations programs]…not only a non-starter but potentially counterproductive.”
Strange and frustrating as it may be, this reveals what we already know – there are still those who dare to paint the descendants of the enslaved as unworthy of economic justice.
We have powerful people in our corner interested in executing a reparations program of some sort – be it direct payments or some other form of recompense. We must keep the political pressure on the right people, like presidential leadership, to do just that!