By now, everyone is already aware that the states of California and New York are planning reparations payments of nearly a quarter-of-a-million-dollars per person. Ahh, but here’s the rub. These lucky folks have to be the descendants of the long-since dead sub-Saharan black African slaves.
Of course, $223,000 isn’t enough. As reported by the New York Post, “hip-hop organizer” Deon Jenkins has argued that “every black Californian should receive a payment of around $800,000” at a meeting of the Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans at Oakland City Hall.
Jenkins must mean business. After all, in an interview directly after the meeting, Deon plainly stated, “Either they’re going to comply or it’s going to be a serious backlash.”
As seen in the video below, Cousin Pookie has trouble with his capitalization.
Brother deon moving the needle @DeonDJenkins #reparationsnow #Reparations #california #PBS pic.twitter.com/h6XbLwkf9U
— POOKIE (@CousinPookieFBP) December 15, 2022
- Never mind that those enslaved souls of MANY generations ago were legally granted their freedom well over 150-years ago (1865 to be exact) with the adding of the XIII Amendment.
- Never mind that the same XIII Amendment also freed white folks held in bondage (“Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude…”). And yes. More than a few of the white people reading this are descendants of “indentured servants” or sometimes called “bond slaves.”
- Never mind that not a single person alive today was ever held as a slave in either the United States or the Confederate States.
- Never mind that it was sub-Saharan black Africans who sold their fellow blacks into slavery to begin with. Don’t hold your breath if you think that Nigeria or Ghana will kick-in as much as a penny.
- Never mind the trillions of dollars (2022 value) since the 1960s that were racial set-a-sides earmarked specifically for blacks. Specifically, public housing, the government subsidizing single black mothers, Richard Nixon’s Affirmative Action program of hiring only blacks to certain federal government jobs.
- Never mind that under the Trump Administration, unemployment numbers ACROSS THE BOARDS were at historic lows. As cited by the US Census Bureau;
In 2019, the poverty rate for the United States was 10.5%, the lowest since estimates were first released for 1959.
Poverty rates declined between 2018 and 2019 for all major race and Hispanic origin groups.
Two of these groups, Blacks and Hispanics, reached historic lows in their poverty rates in 2019. The poverty rate for Blacks was 18.8%; for Hispanics, it was 15.7%.
One other disenfranchised groups I’d like speak up for, how about all those white folks who actually joined the Grand Army of the Republic (popularly known as “The Union Army”), all 2.12 million of them? What… no checks for them?
Even of greater consideration, what of the nearly 600,000 casualties of those who wore the Union blue? I guess losing a couple of limbs or being disintegrated by a grape-shot blast isn’t really that big of a deal, huh?
Personally, I’m of the opinion that Jenkins, members of the Oakland-based Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans, pretty much anyone who advocates reparations payments, regardless of amount, they must’ve painting on the barn wall;
“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”
It goes without saying that the descendants of those who actually served in the Union Army will ever get a cent (not that I’d want it any of it).
But in the astronomically slim chances that I’ll actually get a payment, as a fully-fledged member of Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, I’d donate it to Sons of Confederate Veterans.
If anything, just to let them know there’s no hard feelings.