The article by Ta-Nehisi Coates describes the difficulties faced by contemporary members of the African American community. In particular, the author reports that in the middle of the 20th century “black people across the country were largely cut out of the legitimate home-mortgage market through means both legal and extralegal” (Coates).
Although today’s members of the African American community have higher incomes and better living conditions compared to the 20th century, they still are not allowed to the generally White neighborhoods. Coates then underlines that the reparations program could help the US government to end racial segregation, including the housing discrimination. The author suggests that reparations should be considered not as a payoff6 but a real means to support the African American community and end the humiliation, referring to the experience of the past.
The arguments presented in the article appear to be convincing since they highlight the existing racial wealth gap between Black and White Americans. Coates gives numerous examples of policies and programs that prioritised the financial opportunities of White people, while members of the African American community were discriminated against. The most compelling argument presented in the article is that African slaves became the key to the prosperity and wealth of America (Coates). Moreover, there are examples in history of how the suffering and loss of the people were paid for by reparations, for example, the genocide of the Jews by Germany.
However, the centuries of hardship endured by Africans in the Americas were not covered, but only resulted in segregation. Ray and Perry add that the United States also used reparations for example for Native Americans or for Japanese Americans. Thus, the lack of reparations for African Americans is also a form discrimination. As Coates underlines Black people made more than any other group for the prosperity of the US. However, despite this, they remain segregated and discriminated against in today’s society.
Works Cited
Coates, Ta-Nehisi. “The Case for Reparations.“ The Atlantic. 2014. Web.
Ray, Rashawn, and Andre M. Perry. “Why We Need Reparations for Black Americans.” Brookings. 2020. Web.