“Majority Leader McConnell cited civil rights legislation yesterday, as well he should, because he was alive to witness the harassment, jailing and betrayal of those responsible for that legislation by a government sworn to protect them. He was alive for the redlining of Chicago and the looting of black homeowners of some $4 billion. Victims of that plunder are very much alive today. I am sure they’d love a word with the majority leader. The matter of reparations is one of making amends and direct redress, but it is also a question of citizenship. In H.R. 40, this body has a chance to both make good on its 2009 apology for enslavement and reject fair-weather patriotism.” “Putting aside the injustice of monetary reparations from current taxpayers for the sins of a small subset of Americans from many generations ago — let me finish — the fair distribution of reparations would be nearly impossible once one considers the complexity of the American struggle to abolish slavery. Just consider this. O.K. There are tens of millions of today’s non-African-Americans who are descended from people who arrived in the country, of course, after slavery ended, and therefore they can’t be held responsible for its legacy. More tens of millions are descended from people in both the North and South who didn’t own slaves or who were descended from white people who fought in the Civil War on the Union’s side. Indeed, only a small percentage of the total American population were slave owners.” “We as a nation have not yet truly acknowledged and grappled with racism and white supremacy that has tainted this country’s founding and continues to persist in those deep racial disparities and inequalities today. This is a very important hearing. It is historic. It is urgent.” “Black people don’t need another apology. We need safer neighborhoods and better schools. 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.” “It is only this group that can singularly— singularly — claim to have been slaves under the auspices, the institution and leadership of the United States government. And so, H.R. 40 is in fact— is in fact, the response of the United States of America long overdue.”