The United States Federal Government ought to pay reparations to African Americans.

We the pro affirm the resolution: Resolved: The United States Federal Government ought to pay reparations to African Americans. Framework: The ICTJ explains that "Reparations initiatives can be designed in many ways. They may include financial compensation to individuals or groups; guarantees of non-repetition; social services such as healthcare or education; and symbolic measures such as formal apologies or public commemorations Also note that ought denotes a MORAL obligation to act. If we were to advocate for monetary programs, or if con were to argue against monetary programs, that would be breaking the rules laid out regarding plans by the NSDA in Public Forum debate. This means that reparations do not necessarily come with a price tag or place a burden on the American Government. Therefore, we argue that as long as we prove that there are obvious hardships placed on African-Americans, and it is in the Federal Government"s best moral interest to recognize those issues, that should be enough for us to win the round. CONTENTION 1: SOCIETAL RACISM IN AWARDS SHOWS SUBPOINT A: THE OSCARS The Washington Post argues that "The biggest stunner of the Academy Award nominations [is that] not a single actor of color or female director was included, sparking immediate criticism about Hollywood"s failure to include minorities in its most elite ranks." And the Washington Post is 100% correct. Despite the fact that the movie Selma holds a 99% rating on Rotten Tomatoes it was DENIED any nods for best director nor best actors. IN CONTRAST, "The Grand Budapest Hotel", a movie that literally nobody saw, was given an array of nominations. The same can be said for Birdman, which despite much confusion, actually IS NOT a Marvel movie. This is not surprising. An L.A. Times analysis in 2013 found that the overall academy was 93 percent white and 76 percent male. This all aligns with theories on Racial Empathy Gaps. A recent study by Sophie Trawalter found asked participants to rate how much pain they would feel in 18 common scenarios. The participants rated experiences such as stubbing a toe or getting shampoo in their eyes on a four-point scale.Then they rated how another person would feel in the same situations. Sometimes the target was white, sometimes black. In each experiment, the researchers found that white participants, black participants, and nurses and nursing students assumed that blacks felt less pain than whites.This highlights the fact that society in general lacks the ability to face racial issues on their own, therefore the responsibility defaults to the government to support equality. SUBPOINT B: THE VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS THE ABOVE POINT IS ALSO HIGHLIGHTED IN NICKI MINAJ"S RECENT FIGHT WITH TAYLOR SWIFT. Todd VanDerWerff of Vox explains, "Minaj"s video for "Anaconda," a riotous, gleeful celebration (and satirization) of female sexuality, was by far one of the biggest videos of the year. " Even so, when it was not nominated for a VMA award and Minaj went to twitter to justly complain, Taylor Swift had to make the issue about her, and assumed that Nicki Minaj was "subtweeting her". This then aligns with a recent TUFTS (go jumbos!) study that shows the average white person believes they experience more racism than the average black person, or in other words the average white person is deluded on race issues. Therefore, the USFG must repair the issue. Contention 2: BEYONCE In a recent report by USA TODAY Michelle Obama admitted that If given the opportunity to have a different occupation, she would be Beyonc". Like every literal human being on the face of the world, we would all love to be Beyonce. HOWEVER, despite being the best human being on the planet, Beyonce does not have the highest net worth. Hollywood Life reports that Taylor Swift, 24, and Calvin Harris, 31, have just earned the #1 spot on Forbes Celebrity 100 list, top the 2015 list with a whopping $146 million yearly income! The dethroned couple, Beyonc", 33, and Jay Z, 45, came in second place this year this earnings of $110.5 million. IN ONE WORD, THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE. To rectify this tragedy, reparations must be paid. It makes no logical sense for the most loved person on earth not to be the wealthiest, and the only logical reason Is because of barriers to entry that exist in America for those of darker skin. For that reason, you must affirm the resolution. The US Government has already affirmed their support for Beyonce throughout the years both by letting her and her husband visit CUBA, and by letting Beyonce perform at the president"s inauguration. Because the government has a moral obligation to support Beyonce and Nicki Minaj, we can only see a pro ballot. Thank you.