New York lawmaker Rep. Jamaal Bowman is advocating for a $14 trillion federal reparations measure, aiming to address the impact of slavery on Black Americans.
The bill aims to provide financial support to descendants of enslaved Black people and individuals of African descent, potentially spanning over several decades.
Bowman emphasized the historical economic contribution of slavery and proposes creative ways to distribute the funds.
“When COVID was destroying us, we invested in the American people in a way that kept the economy afloat,” Bowman said. “The government can invest the same way in reparations without raising taxes on anyone.”
“Where did the money come from?” Bowman said. “We spent it into existence.”
Democrat Rep. Jamaal Bowman says Biden is losing support among Black Americans because there has been "no conversation at all about reparations" pic.twitter.com/WcIQQxuYtO
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) November 22, 2023
The U.S. has “a moral and legal obligation to provide reparations for the enslavement of Africans and its lasting harm on the lives of millions of Black people in the United States.”
Bowman additionally believes the “incarcerated should be able to vote.”
“And I definitely think that when they come out, they should automatically be enfranchised,” he said.
The bill aims to address racial disparities in housing, incarceration, education, and wealth, with a focus on eliminating the racial wealth gap.
“Who says the $14 trillion needs to be paid out in one shot?,” Bowman pressed.
“It might be possible for it to be paid out over five or 10 or 20 years. You could take that $333,000 and break it up into monthly checks over X amount of time. There are creative ways to do the right thing and do what needs to be done.”
“There were 246 years of free labor that produced trillions or hundreds of trillions of dollars for the U.S. economy,” he said. “The economy wouldn’t exist in the way it does today if slavery hadn’t built it.”
The measure faces opposition in the Senate and is part of a broader national and state-level movement for reparations.
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