A Testament of Hope by Martin Luther King Jr.

All have a capacity to absorb prejudicial thinking, contrary to higher wisdom. As long as we remain human beings, however, we are vulnerable to imbibing radicalized thinking. The first thing to remember is that the capacity for human racism will not go away, but better belief must be inculcated and prejudicial thinking guarded against. Black Lives Matter and a concern for endemic racism may persuade many to wonder if the next milestones in racial justice won’t be seen until 2065! Are reparations, then, the remedy that will rectify this concern? There are two reasons we might be wary of reparations and should instead look to remedy the root causes of inequality.

In 1865 slavery ended, but legal equality was not on the table and a hundred years rolled around until 1964-65 when the Civil Rights Movement made essential progress. In Why We Can’ t Wait, King argued that “justice too long delayed is justice denied.” Historically, it is plain to see why African Americans 60 years ago or today have had deep unease with social justice. A Christian, or anyone concerned with the Prophetic voices of the Old Testament, should consider one of Martin Luther King’s famous lines: “let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” (Amos 5:24) Unsurprisingly then, since it would mean America casting itself in the same light as Nazi Germany or Imperial Japan, paying reparations is a politically divisive issue. Yet those nations lost wars of aggression and so are not a perfect parallel for the position of African Americans vis-à-vis the rest of the United States. Certainly, reparations are not without precedent Germany paid them for World Wars I and II, as well as to victims of the Holocaust Japan paid them to Korean victims of World War II. Whether it is practical or affordable is contentious. From Here to Equality, a recently released book, has argued for it and the city of San Francisco has moved towards implementing it. The question of reparations for slavery in the United States is frequently debated.

A Testament of Hope by Martin Luther King Jr.