House Democrats will hold hearings Wednesday on potential “reparations” for the descendants of slaves living in the US despite recent polling that shows the vast majority of Americans oppose the cash payments.
“House Judiciary Democrats on Wednesday were holding a hearing in the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties subcommittee on H.R. 40 — a proposal by Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee, D-Texas, to set up a commission to study and develop a response to the question of reparations for slavery,” reports Fox News.
Recent polls show that 60% of Americans oppose reparations, while just 32% support it.
The date of the hearings -June 19th– marks the day in 1865 when Union troops arrived in Texas to declare the end of the US Civil War.
“However, in a finding that could put 2020 Democratic presidential hopefuls in a bind, the Fox poll found that among Democratic primary voters, 54 percent said they were likely to support a candidate who backed reparations, while 33 percent said they were not likely,” adds Fox.
Nearly all Democratic presidential candidates have offered their support for a “national conversation” on the controversial issue.
Failing presidential candidate Cory Booker introduced legislation earlier this year that would create a commission to study the topic.
“This bill is a way of addressing head-on the persistence of racism, white supremacy, and implicit racial bias in our country. It will bring together the best minds to study the issue and propose solutions that will finally begin to right the economic scales of past harms and make sure we are a country where all dignity and humanity is affirmed,” said Booker.
“Since slavery in this country, we have had overt policies fueled by white supremacy and racism that have oppressed African-Americans economically for generations,” Booker added. “Many of our bedrock domestic policies that have ushered millions of Americans into the middle class have systematically excluded blacks through practices like GI Bill discrimination and redlining.”
The issue of federal reparations has taken center stage in the 2020 Democratic primary fight in recent weeks, with top candidates -including Beto O’Rourke and Elizabeth Warren- saying new legislation is required to study the potential payments.
Read the full report at Fox News.
BETO FLIPS: O’Rourke Now Backs Reparations, Says US Needs ‘National Conversation’ on the Issue
Potential 2020 Democratic hopeful Beto O’Rourke back-tracked from previous comments regarding racial reparations Wednesday; saying he now supports a “national conversation” surrounding financial restitution for America’s history of slavery.
“Foundational to the word ‘reparations’ is ‘repair’. Foundational to repair is the truth,” O’Rourke told supporters during a speech at Al Sharpton’s National Action Network.
“And until all Americans understand that civil rights are not just those [historic] victories… but the injustices that have been visited and continue to be visited on people, we will never change that we need to live up to the promise of this country,” he added.
“I don’t believe that should be the primary or initial focus of the conversation,” concluded the Texas Democrat. “I think it is understanding the facts… and those actions will take place after there is a national conversation with facts and truth.”
Read the full report at the NY Post.
DEVELOPING: Cory Booker Introduces First ‘Reparations’ Bill in US Senate
Outspoken Senator and 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful Cory Booker introduced new legislation this week that would create a federal panel to study the implementation of reparations for the descendants of enslaved Americans prior to the Civil War in the mid-19th century.
“This bill is a way of addressing head-on the persistence of racism, white supremacy, and implicit racial bias in our country. It will bring together the best minds to study the issue and propose solutions that will finally begin to right the economic scales of past harms and make sure we are a country where all dignity and humanity is affirmed,” said Booker.
“Since slavery in this country, we have had overt policies fueled by white supremacy and racism that have oppressed African-Americans economically for generations,” Booker added. “Many of our bedrock domestic policies that have ushered millions of Americans into the middle class have systematically excluded blacks through practices like GI Bill discrimination and redlining.”
The issue of federal reparations has taken center stage in the 2020 Democratic primary fight in recent weeks, with top candidates -including Beto O’Rourke and Elizabeth Warren- saying new legislation is required to study the potential payments.
Read the full report at Fox News.
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