For starters I think the timing of this article is perfect due to the current divide in our nation. This ultimately shows that actions from the past still effect the present day, especially when we dive into the topics of racial injustice. The history teaching regarding Brown v Board of Education, Jim Crow laws, and slavery are shrinking every year. I believe that this is vital knowledge that everyone should be learning about. Even if people don't think this effects them or that this is just information from the past- it is beyond clear that the effects of racial injustice still exist today, and therefore reparations should be made.
I am not sure how I would go about reparations being paid, I think that having to trace your lineage to prove your relatives were slaves in order to receive the much needed reparations is a bit extreme. I personally believe that there is nothing that can be done to make up for what has happened in the past. Something I believe that should be done is for the history of what has happened to be displayed and put out in a manner where people can see and really comprehend what happened and how this is still effecting people today. It is no secret that people still believe that African Americans are inferior to whites, and I believe some of this stems from the previous history of America.
Darby makes an interesting point referencing the disagreements on how reparations should be given, whether to go back to the root cause or treat it as a whole. As I mentioned before, much of the history regarding racial injustice is not taught or been recorded so I think it is quite impossible to go all the way back to a specific event. Besides, I think as Darby mentioned the best way to go about these needed reparations is to focus on self development and freedom. We do need to focus on the current issues effecting lives today, but that doesn't mean we can just forget the past. Overall I would say I agree with Darby, he brings up key issues that our society is facing regarding racial injustice and ways to improve, but I also feel that the past needs to be known to all. This I believe is truly the only way that we can "move on", we need to stop pretending like this injustice doesn't still exists and face the facts and try to improve.
Lauryn! I agree with a lot of what you're saying. Although, there might not be something we can directly do like trace lineage I think we can bring awareness to what has happened and continue to teach younger generations the importance of equity. I really liked your blog! Great Job!
ReplyDeleteHey Lauryn! I love your post and agree with what you are saying! I think that it is incredibly important to take into account not only the causes of racial inequality today, but also the root causes of the problem. It seems very obvious, at least im my eyes, that in order to solve a problem we need to get to the roots of what is causing it. For that reason I don't think I necessarily agree with what Darby was arguing. I don't see how it is possible to fix racial injustices and racial inequality without getting to the bottom of it.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog post, and analyzation of this paper!