Month: June 2023

In part two, I suggested three things African Americans can do to help repair ourselves. They included active civic engagement, financial literacy to build generational wealth, and education in service to a fulfilling career. The remaining four suggestions are presented here.

We all know that white Americans and many immigrants often boast about how their family came to the United States with nothing but were able to pull themselves up by their “bootstraps” to improve the lives of subsequent generations through hard work. This is truly “the land of opportunity”, they will say with pride. Having that life experience and mindset, many are quick to point to African Americans and wonder what is wrong with those people? Why do they remain at the bottom of the socio-economic ladder? They’ll say slavery ended a long time ago, so their lack of success must be caused by their cultural deficiencies or perhaps their inferior DNA. They ask themselves why these people wallow in the past and keep claiming victimhood?

Either they are unaware, or they conveniently sidestep the years of Jim Crowe, the unfettered terror of violence, real estate redlining, racism, prejudice, detrimental government policies, and desperate treatment in employment, media coverage, housing, healthcare, education, banking, and the criminal justice system. They ignore the reality that whole communities and powerful individuals, often in backroom decision-making where no one is looking, curtailed our progress and ruined our collective reputation. Even though the law demands fairness and equal treatment, time after time, fairness and equal treatment have been elusive when it comes to African Americans. However, many Americans are mostly unaware of the mistreatment of their fellow Americans. I’ve had many white students express shock and dismay when they are presented with the economic and social disparities linked to discrimination, racism, and governmental policies. Many of these unsuspecting Americans will point to the small handful of black people who overcame both the visible and invisible obstacles to become successful as proof that the system is in fact equal, fair and just.

That was the great mind trip I faced as a teenager. There was the stated promise of fairness and equal treatment, but the reality I repeatedly encountered was so different. What I came to realize at an early age when I discovered the difference in school resources offered to white children and denied to children of color, was that I had to persist anyway. I learned that I had to find a window when a door was closed. I had to run while others could walk. I had to develop the courage, a strategy, and the tact to defend my integrity, my intelligence, my abilities, and my work. I recall the time when a white female PhD student at USC encouraged me to confront a white male English professor to insist that my paper deserved an “A” and not the “B” he gave it. After reading my paper, she was adamant that I confront him, and she told me how to approach the situation. Without any protest, the professor gave me the “A”. Until then I had been accustomed to being short-changed and I had accepted that I needed to be undeniably superior to get what others were given.

Experience taught me that I couldn’t be as good, I had to be better and that even then, I could be viewed as a threat to insecure people. For many years, I bore emotional blows with a smile. I saw betrayal up close and personal. However, I chose my fights carefully and won a few, but lost even more. It seemed like there were potential fights everywhere. I could have protested many times but didn’t like the time when I was the first in line for a sample at Costco, but the older white lady server literally moved my hand away to first serve the white woman behind me. I let it slide because I was happy to allow everyone around me to observe this woman’s blatant racist behavior. However, I should have, but didn’t protest in 1978 when an apartment manager informed us newlyweds when we arrived for our appointment to see an available apartment that it was already rented. We called again and found out that it wasn’t. We were young and decided that we could find another apartment. I’ve always felt guilty and ashamed by our short-sighted behavior that day. If that happened today, I would report it. And since that incident, I have called out discriminatory practices whenever I encounter them.

So, my fourth piece of advice for African Americans is to protect our mental health by picking our fights carefully. Walking away from a fight is emotionally draining, but actual fights are even more emotionally draining. However, some fights are definitely worth having. I eventually decided to fight whenever I saw discrimination and whenever a situation threatened my children’s health and education or to defend my wallet and my reputation. I have and I’m in favor of sitting down with a mental health professional to unpack the trauma that practically every African American endures. Some of it is generational and some is connected to specific events, and even more is from the accumulation of daily indignities we suffer at the hands of the media, unwitting associates, and people we barely know. We internalize the message that we aren’t valued when the media highlights the one missing blonde girl, but completely ignores the many black girls who go missing, are trafficked and murdered. It is traumatizing to see young black men murdered by other young black men or the police. It is traumatizing to have government leaders belittle black history and villainize Black Lives Matter. We like to think we are strong, but even the most resilient among us, can benefit from counseling. I know I have benefited greatly from it.

For many years, I’ve said that black people in this country need to hire a public relations firm to enhance our collective image. I wish we would pool our resources and do it! Too many people continue to harbor a largely negative image of black people. We are viewed as highly emotional, prone to violence, overly loud, wildly colorful, overly sexual, uneducated, poor and lazy, but athletic people who can sing and dance. We’re good for a laugh and a roll in the hay but seen as a threat when we want to be taken seriously. It would be great if one of our few multi-millionaires hired that public relations firm to remind folks that we are simply human beings with as varied a skill set and mindset as any other individual human beings. But unless that happens, each of us is a public relations statement for the entire race.

One might think that black women hired such a firm. Since Oprah and a few others, we have come to be viewed as these invincible creatures who don’t feel pain, can handle all manner of physical and emotional abuse, are loud and intimidating, full of wisdom, and possess some kind of “black girl magic”. However, this false narrative hides some disturbing facts we must address. For starters, although we are the most highly educated group, we are still paid only 64 cents for every one dollar earned by white males. In addition, we have the highest abortion rates among any ethnic group and the highest maternal mortality rates, dying from pregnancy complications nearly three times more often than white women. The loss of Roe will hit black women the hardest, especially since 45 percent of black women under the age of 55 live in red states with limited or no access to abortion. These same women continue to have limited access to birth control and pre-natal healthcare. A disaster is at our doorstep, so we need to push to change this situation immediately or many of our sisters will die and many more black babies will be born into dire circumstances. Each of us must act as a public relations firm within our circle of influence to highlight our challenges and to suggest solutions so that we can work to change things.

My sixth piece of advice is to move away from living in predominately black neighborhoods to residing in integrated neighborhoods. Separate has never been equal! We need a second migration that takes us to communities that offer healthier water and air, better schools, access to healthcare, better job and business opportunities, improved shopping at better prices, and safer communities. When poor black people cluster together, it’s easier for the government to withhold resources and further marginalize people. But if we start spreading out across the nation instead of clustering in small pockets, we have a much better chance of thriving. It is only in communities of color that armed guards are found in the stores. It is only in communities of color that there are liquor stores instead of grocery stores and banks on every corner. It is only in communities of color that you have to wait multiple hours to vote. It is only in communities of color that there are bars on the windows. It is only in communities of color that schools are under-resourced.

While there are a few challenges to living as a minority in other parts of town, those challenges are far fewer than living in an impoverished, over-policed, and under-resourced community. I know this from experience. The benefits far outweigh the costs. If I had to choose where to raise my family all over again, I’d convince my brother and his family to move with us so that their lives could have been easier. The few black families in our neighborhood quickly found each other and we supported each other throughout the years. The best thing about the choice was the opportunity to build equity in our house while the kids obtained a solid K-12 education. The second-best thing was the sustained opportunity to expose people to an actual black family so they could see beyond the media’s negative portrayal of African Americans.

I admit to having to gently challenge the occasional, “I don’t consider you black” or “You’re so articulate?” or “Your kids are so well behaved.” I admit to having to be an advocate for my kids on several occasions when white teachers wanted to automatically track them into lower levels. However, I didn’t need a gifted certification to get the job done like my mother needed for me. That’s progress. And we enjoyed the security of a neighborhood free from the threat of gang violence, police brutality, and burglary. My kids ran a candy store out of our garage that was profitable. They were popular in school, and I always reminded them that being a fly in the buttermilk makes you extra visible, so use that to your advantage not your disadvantage.

My final piece of advice to African Americans is to support, even fund, other African Americans who are trying to educate themselves, start businesses, and are fighting to uplift the values of liberty, justice, and equality through their creativity, talents, protests, entrepreneurial endeavors, and political leadership.

No one is coming to rescue us or to repair the damage that has been done. But with determination, a few smart moves, and mutual support, I truly believe we can repair ourselves.

I doubt we will ever receive the reparations we deserve. So, I don’t think it is wise to for us to wait for any kind of national rescue plan. We’ve been battered, bruised, bullied, and broken by a history of slavery, discrimination, and racism. But we’re still here and it’s time for us to repair our broken parts by ourselves. I’d like to offer my humble prescriptions for repair and restoration.

As African Americans, I believe that we are living in a time of both challenge and opportunity. The forces set against the progress of anyone who is not white, male, heterosexual, and Christian (at least in name) are emboldened by politicians backed by a few wealthy donors. They have seized control of the Supreme Court, numerous state houses, some school boards, police departments, and their goal is to re-gain the presidency. And now the Supreme Court is poised to overturn Affirmative Action just as it overturned a woman’s right to an abortion. These same people who make laws and policies that negatively affect the lives of the poor, transgender youth, and people of color are the same people who now clothe themselves in color blindness and who love to quote sections of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech while constantly reminding us that they are the Party of Abraham Lincoln who freed the slaves. However, their actual actions present a threatening challenge. But I am not entirely disheartened because I recognize that the progress we’ve made thus far continues to offer a window of opportunity. With some thought, effort, and a change of mindset, we can make current policies and programs work in our favor and not against us. In this post and the next, I will lay out the seven things I believe we can do individually and collectively to ensure our forward progress toward securing the American ideal in our pursuit of life, liberty and happiness.

The first thing we must absolutely do is understand how our government functions and then become engaged as petitioners, voters, and perhaps elected officials. Not everyone wants to run for public office, but each of must understand the beliefs and values of those who do before supporting any candidacy and voting for anyone. In today’s political climate, we must give as much attention to the election of school board members as we do to presidential candidates. Just as important as voting is the exercising of our right to petition leaders to meet our needs by contacting them directly and/or participating in peaceful protests when necessary. Exercising our right to vote and to petition our government are fundamental to securing our civil liberties, protecting our lives, and improving our justice system. No one should be in doubt that these rights are currently under attack by white Christian nationalists.

The second thing we can do is get our money situation right. In a capitalistic society that depends on the exploitation of cheap labor and gullible consumers to maximize profits, it is imperative that we cease being the cheap labor and become smart consumers. Forget the notion of “keeping up with the Jones” and instead imitate the example of the financially independent. For starters, we’ll do better if we adopt the habit of saving and investing rather than spending on things that perish quickly and add little value to our lives. It is self-destructive to spend money on products that harm us. So, let’s stop doing that. It’s a good idea to adopt the mindset that it is far better to be paid interest than to pay interest. I haven’t run a balance on a credit card for over 20 years, yet each year I collect cash rewards from each of my credit cards. I do direct deposit or maintain a minimum balance to enjoy free checking accounts. When I must buy something, I support black businesses whenever possible or shop within my city boundaries, so the sales tax dollars benefit my city. If monthly bills exceed monthly income, then either reduce living expenses or find another revenue stream. I learned long ago that small actions like bringing my lunch to work and making my own coffee provided a hefty amount of monthly savings that I could invest. There is a scripture that my mother taught us early in life that says, “A wise man saves for the future, but the foolish man spends everything he makes” (Proverbs 21:20).

I also like what Suze Orman says about clothes and jewelry, but I heard her advice too late. I’ve learned that dressing professionally has a positive psychological impact on both the wearer, customers, and on colleagues. So, I viewed my professional wardrobe as a necessary investment and spared no expense on dressing professionally. It really is true that people who are well dressed are treated better and taken more seriously. However, according to Suze, you really only need one high quality pair of earrings. It is better money management to invest in a few classic but high-quality clothes and shoes that will last than to follow the fashion trends. Admittedly, I failed in this area. While I did stick to the classics, I accumulated far more clothes and jewelry than I needed to the point that I was shocked when I retired and donated my professional wardrobe. I’m embarrassed to admit how much money I wasted over the years.

And finally, when it comes to money, purchasing insurance for the purpose of hedging against financial ruin due to health issues, untimely death, accidents, and natural disaster is a wise financial decision. I view insurance as an investment in financial security. The number one cause of bankruptcy in this country is high medical bills. How many times do you hear of families starting a GoFundMe page to pay for medical bills or to bury a loved one? Far too often. Medical insurance is a necessity. Car insurance is required if you drive a vehicle. Additionally, every financial advisor I’ve ever consulted advised me to purchase term life insurance because it was an affordable way to ensure the continued financial stability of surviving family members. The younger you are when you purchase it, the cheaper it is. And home insurance has twice saved us thousands of dollars from flood damage from a broken pipe and once from wind damage when an entire fence came crashing down. When I was working, I had personal liability insurance since I was advising students on issues that could impact their lives and needed protection in case I was ever sued. Let’s get our financial situation in order, starting with a good paying job, savings and investments, wise spending habits, and adequate insurance.

The third thing to do involves a commitment to hard work. If we’re going to work hard, demand a fair wage for that work. But the kind of work people do matters. Drug dealers work hard, but that job is both destructive and dangerous and will likely end with incarceration or death. I believe that humans need purposeful work to maintain a healthy self-esteem as well as to provide funds for living. No legitimate job is without dignity; however, some jobs are designed to exploit the uneducated, unskilled, and undocumented. The time has come for us to encourage each other to choose career paths that are legal, safe, fulfilling, secure, and jobs that pay us well enough to live without government assistance.

And that starts with ensuring that our children and grandchildren obtain the necessary education, whether through college or trade school. Although college is a worthwhile investment, it can be achieved without accumulating massive amounts of student debt. Two years of community college for a trade or as a prerequisite to transferring to a four-year university is affordable and selecting a state university over a private one is typically more economical unless scholarships are substantial. Student loans should be avoided whenever possible. However, if a student load exists, it should be repaid without delay as interest continues to accrue during every deferral. Some people end up owing 2-5 times more than they borrowed because of this. It is far better to work a part-time job than to take out a student loan.

As previously mentioned, Affirmative Action is likely to end. It was useful in that it opened the door for those few fortunate souls among us who were prepared to enter. And those doors remain open to everyone. I’ve been saying for a long time that we need to take this new opportunity to better prepare ourselves. I even had a non-profit called “Reachable Heights” that conducted workshops for black parents on how to prepare their children for higher education. Now, more than ever, it is our responsibility to fully prepare our children to compete for admission to the trades and colleges to which we were once denied entrance based on our skin color. Since racial exclusion is no longer the case, our community must join with parents to raise the expectation of academic excellence from our schools and our children. We should cease to rely on government policies and programs for preferential admission treatment because we allowed our primary schools to fail us. We are capable of gaining entrance based on merit if we put forth the effort. The time has come for us to make the necessary investment in our K-12 schools and for us to improve our children’s attitude toward academic achievement. I know from experience that the lack of school resources doesn’t determine academic achievement, but the high expectations and commitment on the part of parents does. Parents and the community must support and push currently failing schools and our own children to move toward academic excellence.

These first three things: civil engagement, financial literacy, and hard work coupled with the pursuit of educational excellence are my first prescriptions to begin repairing ourselves. In my next post, I’ll present the remaining four things that we can do to repair ourselves without waiting for reparations that may never come.

In my previous post I wrote about reparations to heal a nation. I explained in great detail why they are owed, to whom they are owed, and how I’d like to see them distributed. I printed out my post and sent a copy to President Biden, my House and Senate representatives, and the majority and minority leaders of both the House and Senate. I even sent a copy to Governor DeSantis. I fully understand that actual reparations as I described may be impossible, however, I feel a duty to offer solutions and to exercise my right to petition our government. Because reparations may never come, I want to address how we as African Americans can once again work to repair ourselves.

After slavery, we did our best to repair, restore and rebuild our battered lives. We were denied the forty acres and a mule, but we forged a way forward anyway. America did not invite us to join the “melting pot”, so we were forced into segregation, the lowest paying jobs and the worse sections of town. In 1916, we began moving north and west seeking jobs, leaving Jim Crow, and escaping racial violence. By the 1970s, 47% of us had fled the South. We established our own communities, our own businesses, our own schools, and our own churches and mosques. In the South, we had a little assistance from land grants to set up our own colleges and universities. We established social and political organizations to strengthen our communities and fight for our Constitutional rights. But we soon learned that much of what we built for ourselves or gained politically was subjected to a backlash from the white supremacists in the country. In fact, during the 1920s, the KKK boasted a membership of 4-5 million members across the country. The pockets of individual and community prosperity were targeted by jealous white folks and nefarious government intervention that allowed lynchings, broad discrimination, and land theft. Whole communities were targeted and destroyed.

Imagine trying your best to climb a ladder and having someone constantly pulling you down or worse, burning the ladder beneath your feet. That is what happened. And I think African Americans collectively lost some faith that the “American Dream” was even attainable. While some wallowed in despair, others chose to quietly strategize, and still others chose to fight publicly for access to that “Dream”. I recognize now that my family in general were the quiet strategy folks who kept their heads down and quietly prepared to enter every door of opportunity through education, hard work, and undeniable competence. Although they were quiet, they supported the civil rights movement and were shocked by its sudden end. I recall an extended time of confusion shortly after Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated.

Eventually, that confusion led me to have a serious conversation with my mother when I was a teenager. I challenged her conviction that I could do or become anything I wanted. Despite the new civil right laws, even at that young age, I could sense the contradiction between her words and the forces that were clearly against black progress. Thankfully, she was able to convince me to continue to strive for excellence and progress. She quoted scriptures like, “If God be for us, who can be against us?” and “A man’s gift will make room for him and bring him before kings”. I engraved those scriptures upon my heart and used her high expectations and constant words of encouragement as fuel to strive in school and in life despite the obstacles that sometimes exposed themselves.

I think it was helpful to spend my childhood surrounded by people from a variety of different cultures. In previous posts, I shared the life-lessons I gained from my encounter with other cultures. I believe those lessons served as a buffer against the internalized oppression many black people adopted. For example, I recall accusations like “acting white” being hurled at black students who tried to excel in school. I escaped that by attending school with academically competitive Asian students during a crucial time of my development. But that whole “acting white” nonsense greeted me at the black middle school I decided to attend. However, I was able to counter it by starting a club titled, “Get it Together”. I worked hard to convince my peers that excellence itself was a worthy pursuit.

America sent black students to poorly resourced schools but short-sighted voices within our own community were able to convince too many of us that to care about school was a white thing to be rejected. In fairness to them, perhaps they remained traumatized by those burned ladders and wanted to protect us from disappointment. But the truth is that a black child had to be emotionally strong enough to withstand that kind of pressure. Even the adults in our black church weren’t too keen on pursuing too much education. I recall the pastor of our church taking my teenage brother aside and trying to convince him to pursue the ministry rather than college as this was a safe and prosperous career choice. After that conversation, my brother rejected the church altogether and went to college. My mother, in her wisdom, left the black church and began attending a predominately white church in the San Fernando Valley where pursuing a higher education was encouraged.

The negative attitude toward education, especially among the most impoverished black people is a self-inflicted wound that contributes to a lack of mentors and role models in poor black communities. My husband talks about the unemployed black men he encountered on the streets in Baltimore who freely shared their uneducated worldly advice. He says he was on a path to nowhere good when he was drafted for Vietnam. He credits his six years in the Air Force for saving him from following in their footsteps.

For most of my childhood, society only encouraged black men to pursue trade jobs, music, the ministry and eventually sports. Businessmen, academics, and professionals were viewed as “uppity negros” often subjected to ridicule by blacks and whites alike. My father was one of those “uppity negros” who was a professional limited to work solely within the black community. I think his fraternal organization was of some comfort to him but the pressures he faced were immense. Although, he never complained about his struggles, he drank heavily and eventually died from his alcoholism.

There were so many frustrated black men like my father. It didn’t help that the federal government enacted anti-family policies, sanctioned the sale of illicit drugs in the black community, nor that we had more liquor stores than grocery stores in our communities. When any group of people are put under constant stress, discrimination, mistreatment, duress and subjected to pollutants in the water and air, there is bound to be a mental health crisis within that community. Hopeless and desperate people behave in desperate ways whether that be violence or an escape through drugs and alcohol. And the police were there to arrest, and judges were there to incarcerate those who acted out. In 2010 one third of black males had felony records.

But if I could point to one bright spot, I would have to point at liberal Hollywood producers who decided to show a different side of black life. I recall watching the show, “Julia” about a loving single black nurse raising her son. Then there was the “Jeffersons” about a successful black business owner and his family. And then there was “The Cosby Show” that for the first time depicted the family life of black professionals. These shows went a long way toward changing the image of black people, not only among white people, but among black people. “The Cosby Show” and subsequent shows like the “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” represented the prospect for a culture shift.

I’ll end my post here because it is getting long. However, in my next post, I’ll continue to address the opportunity to repair our lives without reparation before dark forces close the doors and it is too late.

Let’s begin with the basic definition of reparation. When one party has harmed another, it’s healthy for both parties if the perpetrator acknowledges and apologizes for the harm inflicted and to then offer to somehow repair the damage inflicted upon the harmed party. That’s the meaning of reparation. It’s to acknowledge and make amends, allowing for healing and restoration. The U.S. has paid reparations to native Americans, former slave owners, and Japanese Americans. However, African Americans had their promise of 40 acres and a mule revoked soon after President Lincoln was assassinated. The issue of reparations is once again a topic of discussion.

In the United States, it is impossible to deny that African Americans who are the descendants of slaves have suffered tremendous harm throughout the history of this nation. Some people (like me) believe African Americans are owed something for the 243 years of legalized slavery followed by Jim Crow segregation and legalized discrimination in addition to targeted oppression and destruction of Black lives and livelihoods in almost every sector of American life. At its inception 65% of African Americans were locked out of receiving Social Security benefits as farm workers and domestics and African American veterans were denied GI benefits that subsidized college and housing after WWII. At every turn, U.S. policies denied African Americans the right to equitable pursuits of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is no wonder that African Americans today have one tenth the net worth of their white counterparts. Even college educated blacks earn less on average than white persons with only a high school diploma.

There are those who argue that nothing is owed because they were not personally responsible for slavery since they were not alive and had nothing to do with the systemic racism that continues to harm black people in general and African Americans in particular. Some even contend that systemic racism is a myth that should be banished from our vocabulary.

I will address those people later. But for the purpose of reparations, I make a distinction between black people and African Americans. “Black people” is an all-encompassing term for people with black heritage while African American refers specially to black people who are the descendants of United States slaves. I make the distinction because of a divergent history of trauma and harm suffered at the hands of the American government and its citizens. Many black immigrants were not subjected to the pre-civil rights era trauma caused by legalized terror, blatant discrimination, and ridicule heaped upon African Americans. However, it cannot be denied that their black skin today subjects them to lingering systemic racism, covert discrimination and physical danger. For this reason, I contend that all black people in this nation are “owed” reparations, with the greatest amount to be reserved for African Americans.

Some would say that the U.S. has already paid reparations in the form of Affirmative Action. And to some extent, I would agree. Affirmative Action certainly opened the door to opportunities that had been previously closed. However, one requirement of Affirmative Action is that the candidate for college admission or a certain job has to meet the “qualifications” to be given preferential treatment for selection. Only a few African Americans who could actually meet the qualifications because they lacked access to the academic rigor, mentorships, and experiences necessary to gain those requisite qualifications. It is often argued that the greatest beneficiaries of Affirmative Action were white women and Asian Americans.

In previous posts, I detailed my personal journey through K-12 and how academic expectations and opportunities in this country are distributed along economic, ethnic, and racial lines. As author Jonathan Kozol reports, children in low-income areas are offered considerably fewer academic resources than others and absent parental advocacy and participation in those schools, the children receive an inferior education. The top 10% of those students may “qualify” for college admission when grades are given priority over SAT scores, but many of them will struggle to catch up academically and socially during their first years of college.

Not surprisingly, the very vocal opposers of Affirmative Action call it “reverse discrimination” citing the struggle of these students as a failure of Affirmative Action and a disservice to the students, most of whom are black or brown and poor. These short-sighted naysayers will argue that Affirmative Action weakens workforce competency and dumbs down higher education by including these sub-par individuals into spaces they really don’t belong. In reality, the actual failure is the systemic racism that denies these workers and students access to the living conditions, K-12 education and experiences that would adequately prepare them for well-paid jobs and college coursework. I know this from my own career in education.

In my experience, most of these college students will make it to graduation if they receive adequate moral and financial support and if they are willing to spend extra hours studying. They won’t have the highest grades at graduation because of their initial struggle, but they will eventually catch up and thrive. For example, I mentored a black male student who wanted to become a doctor. He was a top student athlete at his urban high school and was admitted to our university as a biochemistry major because he was pre-med. I recall his dismay when he first encountered the periodic table and realized that all his classmates were already more than familiar with it, having had the opportunity at their high schools to take chemistry and even AP chemistry courses. His high school didn’t offer chemistry and he had never been in a lab. This student quit the football team to concentrate on catching up. Today he is a physicians’ assistant. The opponents of Affirmative Action are decrying the access points but ignoring the possible upward mobility of people who are given opportunities because of it. Most will thrive in their jobs and classrooms when given the opportunity along with accompanying support.

Affirmative Action was reparations for people like me, who because of my family situation and my mother’s advocacy were able to take advantage of it. For me, it was an open door that I was prepared to enter. Other people like my student, who despite the failures of his K-12 education was able to show enough promise and to study hard enough to overcome the hurdles that poverty and an inferior K-12 education placed before him. However, Affirmative Action does very little for most African Americans because the vast majority lack the fortitude or funds to persist in college or worse, they lack the opportunity to gain the necessary qualifications for admission. Affirmative Action alone is nowhere near adequate reparations for African Americans.

Instead, I am advocating for reparations in the form of a substantial investment in predominantly black pre-K-12 schools. These schools need everything from highly qualified teachers, state of the art school facilities, and school resources comparable to schools in high property tax areas. Second, I would offer paid college or trade school tuition and books to every African American student. And I would forgive the student loan debt of those earning less than $75,000 per year. Third, I would offer interest free government loans to black business owners to establish and expand businesses within predominately black communities as well as subsidies to major retailers to open much needed shopping centers in black communities that lack them. Fourth, I would offer a $40,000 cash payment to African Americans above the age of fifty with a bonus of $20,000 payable to the children or grandchildren of WWII veterans who were denied GI Bill benefits; a $30,000 cash payment to African Americans from age 41 to 50; a $20,000 cash payment to African Americans from age 20 to 40; and a $1,000 cash payment up to $20,000 for black Americans who have lived in the U.S. for each year of citizenship up to 20 years. Fifth, reparations must be made to former prison inmates who were either over-sentenced or wrongly accused. Those who served out their sentences should have their voting rights restored. Those who were exonerated should be compensated at a rate of $50,000 per year of wrongful imprisonment and provided free job training or college tuition and fees. And those whose sentences are deemed to be excessive compared to non-black inmates for similar crimes should have their sentences reduced and if the excess time has already been served, they should be compensated for their extra years of incarceration at a rate of $40,000 per year, payable to survivors if the situation warrants. And finally, sixth, every African American living today should receive free healthcare as reparation for government sanctioned environmental toxins, illicit drug infestation, and a history of inhumane medical experimentation on African American bodies.

As a reasonable person, I dismiss the argument that nothing is owed. The fact is that every white person in this country benefited from the mistreatment of African Americans in one way or another. Even though white Americans living today were not personally responsible for the original sin of slavery nor the terrorism, discrimination, systemic inequality and bigotry that followed it, it should be evident that a great portion of the infrastructure, medical breakthroughs, generational wealth, and social status they enjoy today can be attributed to it. Reparations is the right thing to do. It will make amends for the damage this nation has done to the lives and livelihoods of blacks and African Americans in its quest to build wealth and dominate on the world stage. And most certainly, reparations will help improve our collective lives as it will ultimately address our mental health crisis along with the poverty and the crime that plague this nation.

Instead of hiding from our history (because it makes people uncomfortable), we should acknowledge the wrongs of the past and make amends so that we can heal and prosper together. Reparations is a way forward toward healing and unity of an entire nation, with truth as the path toward freedom and release from the chains that bind us to our past failures. It would be a better lesson for our children to learn that the nation hurt African American people, but it apologized and made amends by repairing the damage.