Whilst many have come to accept the principle that a group wronged in the past deserves compensation in the present, a majority still conclude that difficulties in implementing such policies practically justify their absence. In this article, Rashawn Ray and Andre Perry demonstrate why this approach is sorely mistaken. Not only have reparations been widely implemented to many oppressed groups already, but a historical analysis illustrates how reparative justice for African Americans can be carried through both clearly and effectively.  

Central to the idea of the American Dream lies an assumption that we all have an equal opportunity to generate the kind of wealth that brings meaning to the words “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” boldly penned in the Declaration of Independence. The American Dream portends that with hard work, a person can own a home, start a business, and grow a nest egg for generations to draw upon. This belief, however, has been defied repeatedly by the United States government’s own decrees that denied wealth-building opportunities to Black Americans.

Today, the average white family has roughly 10 times the amount of wealth as the average Black family. White college graduates have over seven times more wealth than Black college graduates. Making the American Dream an equitable reality demands the same U.S. government that denied wealth to Blacks restore that deferred wealth through reparations to their descendants in the form of individual cash payments in the amount that will close the Black-white racial wealth divide. Additionally, reparations should come in the form of wealth-building opportunities that address racial disparities in education, housing, and business ownership.