A Big Step in Reparations

From House Panel Advances Bill to Study Reparations in Historic Vote:

A House committee voted on Wednesday to recommend for the first time the creation of a commission to consider providing Black Americans with reparations for slavery in the United States and a “national apology” for centuries of discrimination.

I’m currently reading a graphic novel about Canada’s indigenous population in the Northwest Territories, and so much of the reporting depends on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s investigation of the Indian Residential Schools, a harrowing episode in Canada’s history that resulted in the cultural destruction of Canada’s indigenous peoples.

While I am absolutely in favor of reparations for the United States’ historic exploitation of black bodies and its continued subjugation of black people, I don’t believe a Congress that refuses to accept the basic principle of majoritarian rule will ever get 60+ votes in the Senate for a reparations bill. I can, however, be hopeful for the creation and funding of a Truth & Reconciliation Commission.

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