article by Monique Judge via theroot.com
Colonial history, a legacy of enslavement and segregation are among the chief reasons reparations are owed to African Americans, according to a report put out by a United Nations group (pdf).
The U.N.’s Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent, which reports to the U.N. High Commissioner on Human Rights, presented its findings to the U.N. Human Rights Council on Monday, the Washington Post reports.
The panel, which visited the U.S. on a fact-finding mission in January, wrote in a statement that it was “extremely concerned about the human rights situation of African Americans,” stating that there has been no real commitment to reparations, truth and reconciliation for people of African descent.
Despite substantial changes since the end of the enforcement of Jim Crow and the fight for civil rights, ideology ensuring the domination of one group over another, continues to negatively impact the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of African Americans today. The dangerous ideology of white supremacy inhibits social cohesion amongst the US population.
The panel likened the pattern of police officers killing unarmed black men to lynching, which it referred to as a form of “racial terrorism that has contributed to a legacy of racial inequality that the US must address.”
“Contemporary police killings and the trauma it creates are reminiscent of the racial terror lynching of the past. Impunity for state violence has resulted in the current human rights crisis and must be addressed as a matter of urgency,” the panel wrote.
The panel also noted that African Americans are disproportionately affected by “tough on crime policies,” mass incarceration, and racial bias and disparities in the criminal-justice system.
During this country visit, the experts observed the excessive control and supervision targeting all levels of their life. This control since September 2001, has been reinforced by the introduction of the Patriot Act. We heard testimonies from African Americans based on their experience that people of African descent are treated by the State as a dangerous criminal group and face a presumption of guilt rather than innocence.
The panel laid out recommendations for the U.S. to assist in “its efforts to combat all forms of racism, racial discrimination, Afrophobia, and related intolerance,” which included the “profound need to acknowledge that the transatlantic slave trade was a crime against humanity.”
“Past injustices and crimes against African Americans need to be addressed with reparatory justice,” the panel wrote.
To read more, go to: http://www.theroot.com/articles/news/2016/09/u-n-panel-says-the-u-s-owes-black-people-reparations/
How long have Black people been saying this? Japanese-Americans and Holocaust survivors have received reparations, and deservedly so, but not Black Americans. Now that they’ve acknowledged that Blacks deserve restitution let’s see if they actually give it to us. I seriously doubt it.
White thinking will not allow American to pay reparation,most think that Africa American are subhuman and deserve to be slaves:I am 79 yrs old and I still can’t understand how cutting my head off is an atrocity an a crime against humanity when it is done by Isis ,but dragging me down the highway behind a pick truck until I am dead is not,lynching me and hanging me from a tree because you want to rape my wife and daughter that’s ok.You shoot me and put me in jail when I am innocent that’s ok. When I say something about it ,I’m a race hustler.I can’t get a job because I am black!I resort to other means to feed my family you call me a thug and my children a predator When all I want for my family is the same thing you want for your family,
you put me in jail and throw away the key. You talk about black on black crime when you flood my neighborhood with drugs brought in the country on corporate jets that I don’t own!You fight for the unborn but you cut food stamps to the already born,and you don’t want to educate or provide affordable housing for them after they are born ,I am confused,white folk ,PLEASE TELL ME THE DIFFERENCE ,some of you care more for a stray dog than a fellow human if they are black ,especially you bible carrying,gun, 1st amendment right wing ,church going hypocrites.some of you are saying ,why are you sending me this I am not one of them? If you are not one of them ,then why aren’t you christians speaking out against injustice.You are so busy praying on Sunday you have destroyed your effectiveness on Monday by not practicing what you preach! If that is not so why do I get so many negative comments by white folk about the truth in my book.
Some of you are so heavenly bound until you are no earthly good.I’m confused!!!! ablackexperience by Ernest Woods,a kindle eBook.
Well said!
“Past injustices and crimes against African Americans need to be addressed with reparatory justice”. What exactly is “reparatory justice”? In the context of institutional racism (and by that I mean imbedded inequity–conscious or unconcious– in the schools, the police department, the justice system, in government at all levels, in public and private industry, etc.), I would imagine reparatory justice (things done to repair these systems) would have to take the form of systemic process review and remediation directed by African Americans. As only 13% of the population is black, there could not be solely African American implementation, but, as only they have an accurate accounting and perspective on the injustices and crimes they have suffered, they must lead the effort and be empowered to do so. When thoroughly identified, the extent of the damages should dictate the nature of change required to affect as swift a recovery as possible by the African American People.
This is so important. As previous commenters said – everyone’s been paid but us. BTW – fix the link in the 1st pararaph: https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/G16/183/30/pdf/G1618330.pdf?OpenElement. Didn’t work right, although I used one of the others to get to what I wanted to see w/a current date. But…
[…] Here’s the link – let’s pursue this and stop complaining. Something has been dropped in our laps; let’s go and get it. God knows it’s ours! […]
I am 79 yrs old and I still can’t understand how cutting my head off is an atrocity an a crime against humanity when it is done by Isis ,but dragging me down the highway behind a pick truck until I am dead is not,lynching me and hanging me from a tree because you want to rape my wife and daughter that’s ok.You shoot me and put me in jail when I am innocent that’s ok. When I say something about it ,I’m a race hustler.I can’t get a job because I am black!I resort to other means to feed my family you call me a thug and my children a predator When all I want for my family is the same thing you want for your family,
you put me in jail and throw away the key. You talk about black on black crime when you flood my neighborhood with drugs brought in the country on corporate jets that I don’t own!You fight for the unborn but you cut food stamps to the already born,and you don’t want to educate or provide affordable housing for them after they are born ,I am confused,white folk ,PLEASE TELL ME THE DIFFERENCE ,some of you care more for a stray dog than a fellow human if they are black ,especially you bible carrying,gun, 1st amendment right wing ,church going hypocrites.some of you are saying ,why are you sending me this I am not one of them? If you are not one of them ,then why aren’t you christians speaking out against injustice.You are so busy praying on Sunday you have destroyed your effectiveness on Monday by not practicing what you preach! If that is not so why do I get so many negative comments by white folk about the truth in my book.
Some of you are so heavenly bound until you are no earthly good.I’m confused!!!! ablackexperience by Ernest Woods,a kindle eBook.
Reblogged this on Mahoganypoet's Blog and commented:
“Pay us what you owe us for the all of the years that you {stole from} us.