The congressional hearing on reparations on Wednesday hit turbulent waters when a witness was booed for claiming that the bill to study slavery reparations was a 'moral and political mistake'.

Coleman Hughes, a Columbia University philosophy student and writer for Quillette, was one of the few dissenting voices at the 'H.R. 40 and the Path to Restorative Justice' hearing held by the House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties.

H.R. 40 is a bill which would seek to form a commission that would study reparations and how to successfully implement them for African American.

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Coleman Hughes, a Columbia University philosophy student, was one of the few dissenting voices at the 'H.R. 40 and the Path to Restorative Justice' hearing

In his opening remarks, Hughes declared that his statements weren't meant to 'minimize the horror and brutality of slavery and Jim Crow' and added that the 'failure to pay reparations directly to freed slaves after the Civil War to be one of the greatest injustices ever perpetrated by the U.S. government'.

The college student then condemns the bill for focusing too much on 'our desire to fix the past' and spending too much on language like 'slavery' and not on today's topic like 'incarceration' or 'homicide' as it pertains to young black men.

But the crowd then began booing Hughes as he mentioned that the House of Representatives and the Senate already 'formally apologized for slavery and Jim Crow (in 2008 and 2009)'.

The Quillette writer asserted that 'Black people don't need another apology'

'Black people don't need another apology. We need safer neighborhoods and better schools,' he added. 'We need a less punitive criminal justice system. We need affordable health care. And none of these things can be achieved through reparations for slavery.'

Hughes acknowledged that his testimony would rub folks the wrong way, with many perceiving him to be a Republican when he as 'only ever voted for Democrats.' He accepted that Republicans and the other half of the country would take issue with him 'distancing' himself from there.

He said: 'That's how suspicious we've become of one another. That's how divided we are as a nation.'

Audience members booed Hughes as he described how reparations would divide the country even further

Hughes continued: 'If we were to pay reparations today, we would only divide the country further, making it harder to build the political coalitions required to solve the problems facing black people today.

'We would insult many black Americans by putting a price on the suffering of their ancestors; and we would turn the relationship between black Americans and white Americans from a coalition into a transaction—from a union between citizens into a lawsuit between plaintiffs and defendants.'

The writer then offers that the only black Americans who should get reparations are those who 'actually grew up under Jim Crow and were directly harmed by second-class citizenship.'

Jim Crow laws were overturned in 1965, just 54 years ago.

While not in favor of reparations, Hughes did say he believed that folks who were impacted by Jim Crow should receive them. Jim Crow laws were overturned in 1965, just 54 years ago

Subcommittee Chairman Steve Cohen resorted to banging his gavel as the spectators continued booing Hughes, telling them to 'Chill, chill, chill, chill!' 'He was presumptive, but he still has a right to speak,' Cohen added

Hughes continued calling payments to all descendants of slaves a 'mistake.'

'Reparations, by definition, are only given to victims. So the moment you give me reparations, you've made me into a victim without my consent,' he said.

'Not just that: you've made one-third of black Americans—who consistently poll against reparations—into victims without their consent, and black Americans have fought too long for the right to define themselves to be spoken for in such a condescending manner.'

Reparations, by definition, are only given to victims. So the moment you give me reparations, you've made me into a victim without my consent - Coleman Hughes

As the booing continued, Hughes concluded with: 'The question is not what America owes me by virtue of my ancestry, the question is what all Americans owe each other by virtue of being citizens of the same nation..

'And the obligation of citizenship is not transactional. It's not contingent on ancestry. It never expires, and it can't be paid off. For all these reasons, bill HR 40 is a moral and political mistake.'

Subcommittee Chairman Steve Cohen resorted to banging his gavel as the spectators continued booing Hughes, telling them to 'Chill, chill, chill, chill!'

'He was presumptive, but he still has a right to speak,' Cohen added.

On Twitter, the criticism continued with many blasting Hughes for being misinformed and hypocritical in his stance of not supporting reparations but then wanting them for those effected by Jim Crow.

On Twitter, the criticism continued with many blasting Hughes for being misinformed and hypocritical in his stance of not supporting reparations but then wanting them for those effected by Jim Crow

'Coleman Hughes is a little Uncle Ruckus'ish....,' said Yesha Callahan, a writer for Essence, alluding to a character from the American animated sitcom The Boondocks

'Coleman Hughes your personal experience & Ivy League education aren't the norm for most African Americans,' one user stated. 'You're more than welcome to decline reparations but you can't make that call for the majority of African Americans who live under the burden of the legacy of slavery.'

'Coleman Hughes is a little Uncle Ruckus'ish....,' said Yesha Callahan, a writer for Essence, alluding to a character from the American animated sitcom The Boondocks.

Vann R Newkirk II added: 'The wildest thing about Coleman Hughes’s testimony is that…as it turns out, he’s in favor of reparations.

'Now that I have time to think about it, endorsing “reparations for people who were alive during Jim Crow” is not an anti-reparations stance! And it kinda destroys all his other arguments against reparations!'

'It’s okay, just for today, to call Coleman Hughes a coon,' asserted comedian Rae Sanni. 'He’s arguing against reparations on Juneteenth. He’s Cooneman Hughes til midnight Pacific Standard time.'

Christoph Mergenson stated: 'Fun fact for Coleman Hughes: We can address reparations for slavery, Jim Crow, and its ongoing effects, AND accomplish things like criminal justice reform and better health care, though understanding that might not sit well with his conservative patrons. #Juneteenth #HR40'

'Coleman Hughes is what happens to parents who so badly want the best for their child, that they move to the suburbs; private schools; and often pull them away from other kids of color,' declared Ty Campbell. 'I know plenty of these kids who are now adults.'

Another user said: 'Worth noting that one of the arguments made by Coleman Hughes in his congressional testimony against reparations—that an already rich descendant of slaves would unjustly benefit—is similar to one of the arguments deployed against student loan forgiveness.'