Looking Back
To have a good harvest one must follow certain steps. Breaking the soil, placing the seed at the right depths. Supplying the right amount of nutrients encourages a beautiful harvesting season. There are always environmental factors to prepare for.
At America’s inception, the founding fathers established a plan to harvest a new nation. By extracting land, and building a labor force, America was ripe for planting seeds. The measures to ensure the survival of this new nation were extreme and cruel. The labor force was unpaid and treated like property. At the time the idea of labor laws was unthought of. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness were founding principles given to a select group.
Many cultures have conquered territory beyond their homelands. The human experience has been either to conquer or be conquered. With war comes casualties, and with victory comes access to resources. Morally speaking, the treatment of the conquered Africans & Indigenous slaves has had a great impact on their descendants. The identity of the slave quickly became the only Self-image suitable for survival.
With free labor and a fearful labor force, America was sitting comfortably. The duration of slave labor facilitated immeasurable profits for industries and stability for a young nation. The heart of the people stood firm in maintaining this way of life. Though there were citizens who disagreed with the extent of the policy, many enjoyed the fruits of the labor.
The Bonds we hold Dear
As America matured and built a promising future, not all the participants in building this prosperous nation received their due. With slavery legally being denounced, many former slaves expected to have a chance to engage in economic opportunities. A majority lacked any formal education to sufficiently build a livelihood. Success was now a reality for those who made use of their newfound freedom. A large number of newly freed men and women were forced to return to the prisons to feed their families.
As the culture of the black community began to ascend to financial prominence, so did the resentment of the nation’s spiteful citizens. Most Americans were unable to fully relinquish the past and its ideals, legislation was enacted to promote difficulty in the life of the nation’s newly freed participants. Furthermore, little respect was paid to their rights as citizens of this new found nation.
While black families struggled to develop a sense of power within the nation, many individuals succeeded in accomplishing political, and business goals. The community of blacks slowly developed its elite class, who began to give you inspiration to a culture void of any relatable images.
Though there were blacks who owned slaves, they did not relate to the struggle of the masses. The rise from rags to riches was born from the slave experience. Consequently, the black experience would still face many obstacles even as the country thrived into the industrial age. The ideology of being a true citizen slowly became a conundrum for the slave looking to establish a legacy.
The price of the past
As time advanced so did the face of this prejudice. Today the idea is that racism or prejudice can simply go away when people stop talking about it. I dare to push back against that and say look at the many unprovoked attacks happening in modern times.
One could argue for or against reparations, but neither side of the debate could do so without recognizing the damage to a nation within a nation. The heart of the conversation usually rests in the lap of monetary implications. On the contrary, I’d say that we need to recognize how the laws put in place have destroyed potential, families, and talent in the black community.
The conversations of reparations have to extend beyond the destruction slavery has caused. The nation has to include the eras after slavery which the black community has been the target of resentment and hostile policies. Truly to restore the black nation for their efforts to build this nation, we recognize that money is only a band-aid for a cancer long overdue a diagnosis.
The sentiment that blacks need to get over the past truly avoids the depths of the current attempts to destroy the collective identity of the freed slave. There can never be a monetary amount to replace the millions of lives destroyed and lost to the contempt of a nation. As a nation, we must recognize the pillars which built this nation and restore their ability to access quality resources and opportunities to extend their legacy beyond the stereotypical outcome.
In My Opinion
Can we ever really remedy the generations of families torn apart or the meaningless murders, I don’t think so. Unfortunately, as the descendants of this nation now face implosion due to a lack of identity on both sides, I ask what will take for us to restore this nation.
In my opinion, if a nation works to uplift its lowest citizen then the nation as a whole will benefit. The bigger question is; how should reparations be made, not if they should be given.
The only dilemma should be how to rightfully restore the community that has been actively targeted. In conclusion, I don’t agree that money is the answer, but the financial aspect is a piece of a larger pie.
