Free The Justice Or Injustice Of Reparations Essay Sample

The world today is more sensitive to human rights violations than it was a few decades ago. Many people are now aware of their rights, and issues touching on the dignity of human life receive support the world over. Nonetheless, there are many cases of past injustice that still remain unresolved. The challenge, therefore, becomes whether such occurrences should be addressed in the present day age or whether people should go silent about those injustices as if nothing happened. In as much as some people may want to forget about past injustices such as the inhumane treatment of African Americans, paying reparations is the only way that such instances can be brought to a close and true reconciliation attained.
It is indeed true that African Americans did not receive fair treatment until the last half of the twentieth century. Before the abolishment of slavery, African Americans faced many hardships. They did not have rights, and their masters could do anything with them as they wished. They lived as if they were with second-class citizens. Even after the abolishment of slavery, the black people did not have the right to vote, and they faced segregation in public places. Because of such issues, the black people lagged behind in terms of education and economic prosperity. Even to date, such issues still affect African Americans.
Given the great strides that the country has made toward achieving a dignified life for everyone and giving the people an equal platform for prosperity, it is only reasonable that some form of reparation is given to the African American community. It would be hypocritical for human rights crusaders in the US to talk about human rights violation in other parts of the world without giving a mention to the inhumanity that African Americans underwent till late twentieth century. However, there are some who believe that reparations would not be ideal because the so-called inhumane treatment of African Americans happened a long time ago. What these people miss is that an injustice is timeless.
Injustice perpetrated at any point in time should not be let go just because it happened many years ago. The generations that recognize that mistakes were made should make efforts to reconcile with those affected and provide some form of support, material or otherwise. Such actions would prove that they no longer condone acts of impunity. It would also serve as a lesson to the rest of the world; an example that would set a precedent when dealing with similar cases. It happened with the Japanese Americans when Congress agreed to issue a public apology and pay reparations in 1988, and nothing should prevent the country from going back in time to do the same to the African Americans.
In conclusion, the African American community deserves reparation for the inhumane treatment that their ancestors faced centuries ago. Injustice is timeless, and the fact that it happened years ago does not mean that people should assume nothing happened. True healing and reconciliation come from accepting mistakes and taking responsibility. The public apology issued by Congress in 1988 and the accompanying reparations set a good precedent, and the same thing should be done to the African American community. The dignity of human life should be respected at all times, and such a step would prove to the world that the days of treating other humans without respect are gone.