What, specifically, would reparations look to rectify?
“It’s not just for the enslavement of African people, but the ongoing consequences,” she says. “You can look at our criminal punishment system, you can look at our educational system, health care, housing—the consequences of the enslavement of Africans are visible in every aspect of our society. ” Who would receive reparations? “There may not be any living survivors of slavery, but there are many of us who are survivors of the continuing consequences. And if you really look at reparations for more than simply enslavement, but also for all the consequences, they are not just borne by people who, like me, can trace their ancestry to an enslaved African, but people who look like me,” says Aiyetoro. As a result, anyone who identifies as Black—from African-Americans to recent African and Caribbean immigrants, and even multi-racial Americans—could be taken into consideration. After all, she explains: “We were biracial in slavery, but we were still treated as African. One drop of African bloo
