Can The U.S. Afford Reparations?

Written by keith
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The disproportionate impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Black Americans coupled with the protests following George Floyd and Breonna Taylor’s deaths, have pushed racial injustice to the forefront of the national debate. Politicians, states and cities have started to look at reparations for descendants of slaves as a possible way to solve persistent inequalities.

While a concrete compensation plan seems far out of reach, experts are starting to offer tangible solutions. William Darity suggests a $10 to $12 trillion program, distributed over the course of 10 years.

Darrick Hamilton suggests implementing a complimentary program called baby bonds, which would provide a quasi universal basic income for newborn babies. However opponents say that now is not the time to increase federal spending, as the country faces over $24 trillion in national debt and the covid-19 pandemic. Watch the video above to find out more about if the U.S. could afford reparations for slavery.


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