As we wait for President Elect Joe Biden and Vice President Elect Kamala Harris to be sworn into office, the topic of reparations is on the minds of many in the African American community. While other groups have easily received a remedy from the government for some of the atrocities committed against them, the need for reparations for African Americans is often met with scorn and hostility.

There is a lot of hatred against African Americans in the United States even though as a group, we have done little or nothing to earn it. Most of us were brought here against our will. The damage done to Africans after our ancient civilizations collapsed has probably been the worst ever inflicted on any people of the world. Our greatest accomplishment, the Egyptian Civilization, as one example, has been ripped from us by criminal societies who have tried for centuries to convince the world that Egypt, founded on the African continent was a European creation. When in fact they came into possession of it only through invasions and a variety of sadistic criminal acts.

As usual, what the Europeans said has been proven to be all lies, but there are hundreds or even thousands of lies that Europeans live on as justification for murdering and enslaving millions of Africans then stealing and pillaging their rich lands. Africans are not alone in suffering these fates. The same has been done to others, including the Native Americans. In the case of Africans brought to the Americas, we were stripped of not only our history but our language, our customs, our religions and even our appearance in an attempt to make us unrecognizable to the world. All this damage must be made right.

Reparation is a principle of law that has existed for centuries, referring to the obligation of a wrongdoing party to redress the damage caused to the injured party. Under international law, reparation can possibly wipe out all the consequences of the illegal acts and re-establish the situation which would, in all probability, have existed if these acts had not been committed.

The case to pursue reparations between the Jews and Nazi Germany was simple and a Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany was held by the Israelis.

In September 1951, Konrad Adenauer, the Chancellor of West Germany addressed his Parliament stating the need and desire of his government to agree on forms of compensation due the Jewish people. Despite some protests, an agreement was signed in September 1952 and West Germany paid Israel over $2.3 billion (which is about $22.21 billion in 2017). The payment was made to the State of Israel as heir to the victims who had no surviving family. The money was invested in the country’s infrastructure and was an important part of establishing the economy of the new state. It could be said that it was their life’s blood.

In the situation where America deprived Japanese Americans of their businesses, material goods and imprisoned them during WWII, even though some of them had sons serving on active duty in the U.S. Military, the situation was still fairly simple.  In response, the Japanese people began what turned out to be a successful reparations movement in the 1980s. Near the end of the decade, President Ronald Reagan signed the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 which apologized to Japanese Americans who were imprisoned in internment camps during WWII and paid each surviving prisoner $20,000, which was roughly $38,000 in 2019, according to Wikipedia.

In the current political environment, African Americans will have little chance of winning any kind of cash reparations from the United States or any of the other countries involved in our tragedy. One real solution is the one put forth by Malcolm X is that we must take our case before the United Nations. Two years ago, in the Fall, a United Nations committee did in fact conclude that African Americans deserve reparations for slavery.

One argument against reparation is that only a small percentage of Americans profited from the slave trade and many Whites (and Blacks also) died to end slavery and it is unfair that the entire country be taxed. Of course, this makes no sense to me at all.  The countries that were involved and that profited from the trade, worldwide, must pay and be made to pay if they refuse to do the right thing. America must support it and kick in its fair share. It may be that this will only happen when African countries and African peoples world-wide become strong enough to carry this out.

As in most legal proceedings, proof of damage will be required by the Courts. The entire world knows what has happened to Africans due to the slave trade planet-wide and who has caused the damages and reaped the profits. Many claims by African nations have been made already, including some made at the U.N., all without success. At this point, the offending nations are still too powerful, made so from drinking the blood of so many Africans.

Once the reparations arguments start to be settled, there will be a phase where the type and means of reparations must be determined. Cash reparations to individuals will not be practical. I am certain that would lead to a clown show. DNA evidence will be used by some white people, in this country and around the world who will suddenly be trying to prove they are Black or African. There will be many, including those who have blue eyes and blonde hair, or those who have fought against and terrorized Africans all their lives, perhaps as Klan members or as police to show they have a smattering of African blood in them. They will now say that this qualifies them for a share in reparations settlements.

Some estimates of what Africans are due for giving Europeans grand lifestyles while many Africans starve even today, is approximately $8,000,000,000,000. Yes, that is eight trillion dollars.  I guarantee you that there will be a dog and pony show as good people and bad lunge at this purse.

It is clear that you can never successfully negotiate with evil nor will it ever rest, so we must make certain “by whatever means necessary,” that African people worldwide can never, ever be victimized again.