Spring Break
Reparations would hurt blacks in the country
By: Collins Ezeanyim
Issue date: 4/13/04 Section: Opinion
One of the plaintiffs is Deadria Farmer-Paellmann, a name many who follow the activities of reparations activists will recognize. A couple of years ago, Farmer-Paellmann made headlines when she was the only named plaintiff in a reparations lawsuit against Aetna, an insurer, the railroad CSX and FleetBoston, a financial services firm. In the latest lawsuit, Farmer-Paellmann is identified as a descendant of the Mende tribe in Sierra Leone. DNA evidence has also linked other plaintiffs to tribes in Niger and Gambia, according to the Farmer-Paellmann may be an intelligent woman, but it is an awful shame she isn't using her abilities to achieve good.
All reparations activists should direct their energies to problems that affect the black community. For example, the National Urban League recently released a report, "The State of Black America 2004," which concluded that the "Equality Index," or "the statistical measurement of the disparities that exist between blacks and whites in economics, housing, education, health, social justice and civic engagement," revealed that the status of black Americans is 73 percent lower than their white counterparts.
This is an issue that needs to be dealt with immediately, but it cannot be addressed through reparations activism. The attitudes of black Americans must be talked about seriously. Black and white relations must also be examined, and reconciliation must be advocated. But pursuing financial redress for slavery will only create divisions in a country that is
increasingly becoming more accepting of its racial differences.
Farmer-Paellmann and the other reparation plaintiffs have a choice. They can leave a legacy of bettering the lives of black Americans, or they can be seen as greedy opportunists who profited from the sweat and blood of their distant ancestors.
All reparations activists should direct their energies to problems that affect the black community. For example, the National Urban League recently released a report, "The State of Black America 2004," which concluded that the "Equality Index," or "the statistical measurement of the disparities that exist between blacks and whites in economics, housing, education, health, social justice and civic engagement," revealed that the status of black Americans is 73 percent lower than their white counterparts.
This is an issue that needs to be dealt with immediately, but it cannot be addressed through reparations activism. The attitudes of black Americans must be talked about seriously. Black and white relations must also be examined, and reconciliation must be advocated. But pursuing financial redress for slavery will only create divisions in a country that is
increasingly becoming more accepting of its racial differences.
Farmer-Paellmann and the other reparation plaintiffs have a choice. They can leave a legacy of bettering the lives of black Americans, or they can be seen as greedy opportunists who profited from the sweat and blood of their distant ancestors.
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