It also had enough concrete examples to help what we had been pushing, from back pay to racism. During an interview at his Washington home, Robinson, president of TransAfrica Forum and an eminent figure in the American protest against the former apartheid system in South Africa, said he senses a tidal wave of support building for reparations domestically and internationally. The Supreme Court enshrined it, and Congress has never compensated a single person for the crime. The reparations legal strategy group met for the third time Tuesday and will have its fourth meeting in June, Randall said. The group consists of roughly 30 people developing a battle plan that will trace the predicament of Blacks today to the onset of slavery in America in 1619.
Critics balk at the notion of any compensation for something that happened generations ago.
Horowitz argues that the idea of reparations is racist and that Blacks already have received redress in the form of welfare and affirmative action. We got to seize the day and turn lemons into lemonade. Lewis said she was heartened to see the movement in which she has been involved for 30 years attract a broader base of support. Roberts, a member of Caucasians United for Reparations and Emancipation, said she was compelled to speak out after doing research on slavery. However, polls indicate that Roberts shares a minority view.