Former President Obama said earlier this week that the arguments for reparations for black Americans are “justified,” but added that “the politics of white resistance and resentment,” among other issues, made the prospect of pursuing the issue during his presidency a “starting point”
“So if you theoretically ask me, ‘Are the reparations justified? “The answer is yes,” the former president said in an episode about Him and Bruce Springsteen’s new “Renegades: Born in the USA” podcast which launched on Spotify earlier this week.
“There is not much doubt that the wealth of this country, the power of this country has been built largely – not exclusively, maybe not even the majority – but a large part of it has been. built on the backs of slaves, ”he continued.
“What I saw during my presidency was the politics of white resistance and resentment, the discourse of welfare queens and the discourse of the poor who did not deserve it and the backlash against affirmative action. “He said, adding that” all of this made the prospect of delivering the reparations program coherent and meaningful struck me as, politically, not only a non-starter but potentially counterproductive. “
Obama previously spoke about reparations during his 2008 presidential campaign, saying in remarks at the time that while he agreed with “the underlying sentiment of recognizing the continued legacy of slavery” , he had concerns about the matter.
“I’m concerned that the reparations may be an excuse for some to say ‘we’ve paid our debt’ and to avoid the much more difficult job of enforcing our anti-discrimination laws in employment and housing; the much more difficult job of ensuring that our schools are not separate and unequal; the much more difficult job of providing vocational training programs and rehabilitating young men released from prison each year; and the much more difficult job of lifting 37 million Americans of all races out of poverty, ”he said at the time, according to the Washington Post
“These challenges will not go away with the repairs,” Obama also said at the time. “So while I applaud and agree with the underlying sentiment of recognizing the continued legacy of slavery, I would prefer to focus on issues that will directly address these issues – and build consensus to achieve this.” . “
The argument for reparations for black Americans has gained momentum on Capitol Hill in recent months after the country witnessed widespread protests against police brutality and racial inequality following the police murder of George Floyd.
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