Issue date: 4/8/02 Section: Opinion

If Deadria Farmer-Paellmann, the main Plaintiff in the reparations lawsuit has her way, possibly more than 1,000 American corporations will be paying restitution to 35 million African-American citizens. Farmer-Paellmann is the only named plaintiff in a lawsuit against three major American corporations seeking redress for the descendants of African slaves who suffered and toiled on American land for centuries without any compensation. Unfortunately, this is another indication that the reparations movement has no intention of slowing down.

What Farmer-Paellmann and other reparations activists need to understand is that although slavery was an atrocity that never should have happened, it ended more than a century ago. The pursuit of financial gain for its effects can only deteriorate racial relations in modern-day America.

The three corporations named in the suit are Aetna, an insurer, the railroad CSX and FleetBoston, a financial services firm. This is a disappointing action, especially when one considers that some of these corporations have expressed sorrow that their company was ever involved in slavery and have taken steps to make amends. They are doing this even though no one working in these companies has ever personally profited from slavery and were born well after the passing of the 13th Amendment.

For example, Aetna told USA Today that it has "deep regret" for issuing slave policies. It also claims that it has invested over $34 million in the African-American community. In addition, according to The Associated Press, when Farmer-Paellmann was gathering evidence for the lawsuit, she claims that Aetna was cooperative in her research.

According to USA Today, many of the financial, banking, insurance, transportation, manufacturing and publishing companies that might later be named in the suit are some of the most aggressive when it comes to targeting African-Americans for employment and promotion opportunities. And like Aetna, they also give a significant amount to black causes. Thus, instead of suing these corporations, members of the reparations movement should work in tandem with these corporations to find solutions to problems affecting African-American communities.

The reparations activists need to ask themselves what their goals truly are. If the objective is to conduct the greatest corporate shakedown in history, they are certainly on the right track. But if their aim is to truly improve the lives of black Americans, they must find a different method because race relations can only deteriorate with the use of such a divisive tactic.

These activists claim they are justified in their actions because the effects of slavery are still felt today. To a certain degree, this statement is true. A common misperception that has survived since the slavery era is that blacks are not intelligent. For many years this ridiculous stereotype prevented many African-Americans from receiving the education they deserve.

Reparations activists say they would like to use the money gained from reparations to fund education programs aimed specifically at African-Americans - but how useful would those education programs be if so many African-Americans see education as something "white" and not to be bothered with? The fight for young black people's minds is a battle more deserving of reparations activists' attention.

Slavery was a horrific evil that will always remain a stain on the history of this country. But instead of using their ancestors' suffering as a tool for financial gain, reparations activists should look to their ancestors for motivation to make America a place that treats all of its citizens equally. Despite what people such as Farmer-Paellmann think, this is something that money cannot buy.

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