America Has a Debt to Pay To Truly Make it GREAT
R
the damage that had been done? Were there additional eparations is one of those words many don’t
want to hear. It’s taboo. It’s forbidden. Discussed
behind closed doors in low whispers among friends. Perhaps pondered in wishful thinking, hoped for by African Americans.
But never ― I mean never ― are reparations dis-
cussed in mixed company or in public. Why? Because just the word itself brings up feelings of guilt, pain and shame many do not even want to think about. It brings up the
inhumane history of slavery in America and the systemic, horrendous mistreatment of an entire race the majority
considerations as the Japanese Americans or Native
Americans received? Absolutely not. While we consider reparations, let us also consider another word - resti-
tution; which is a payment made by the perpetrator of a crime to the victims or the families of the victims of
that crime. The payment is meant to make the victims whole. America has stolen an entire race from their homeland, destroyed families, lineage, enslaved
them and severed their history, hung those people
from trees and whipped them, raped their men and women, denied them basic human rights to free-
dom, justice and equality
would love to forget.
on all fronts – education,
Before we can
housing, employment and
answer the question of
created mass incarcera-
“why” or make a decision
tion. They have been sys-
about whether or not we
tematically oppressed and
should give reparations
the atrocities committed
to the African Amer-
against them have nega-
ican people, we first
tively affected generations
must understand what
and will affect generations
reparations are and what
to come.
exactly the word means:
Reparation (n.) directly from the Latin word reparationem (nominative reparatio) “act of repairing, restoration,” from past participle stem of Latin reparare “restore, repair.”
It’s time for America
to acknowledge that the system has been rigged
against African Americans
Sharifah Hardie
We can all agree that damage was done. We know
that a race of people were stolen from there home
country of Africa and made into slaves to do agricultural work in the South and textile work in the North;
cheap labor to essentially build America. And indeed,
“America” apologized for slavery in 2008 in H.Res. 194 (110th): Apologizing for the enslavement and racial segregation of African-Americans.
But did that apology even begin to repair or restore
since they were brought
here in chains. Please put
aside any ancestor shame,
or shame in not speaking up
sooner about the unfairness and injustice of it all and give them their just due in the form of restitution and
reparations. America will have paid its debt and will truly be great.
Sharifah Hardie is a business consultant, influencer, and
was a Long Beach City Council Candidate. She is the host
of Ask Sharifah Videocast and Podcast and Round Table with Sharifah Hardie and the author of Signs You Might Be An Entrepreneur – How to Discover the Entrepre-
neur in You and Everything You Need to Know About So-
cial Media Marketing. 562.822.0965 AskSharifah.com RADIANCE MAGAZINE 43
