 Posted 5/25/2009 9:14:01 PM
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| Should the Caribbean people continue to struggle to obtain reparations for slavery? Is compensation for slavery and its accompanying atrocities an attainable and realistic goal? How do we move forward as a people?
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Posted 6/2/2009 6:46:52 AM
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Prior this to this last week reparation was not an issue I gave significant thought to. And by not thinking about it I was in essence making a very big statement about it. And giving who I am, that is, given my history and the philosophy by which I chose to live, I would like to think my choice to not think about reparation was as a result of slavery and the struggle that followed.
I have seen struggle all my. First through the eyes of a black woman trying to raise children- my mother. Secondly as an individual wanting to live a "better" life. And thirdly as seemingly conscious member of society. Growing up my mother didn't hide her struggles- she didn't explain it, but we saw it. We could understand what it was- but we saw it. In our society I say it.
You see, as a young black boy I was thought it was ok to struggle, as I grew struggle became a requirement not just for growth, but for survival.
I internalized that there is only one way to success and that is the part of everyday struggle. That meant tying my own boot and climbing to the mountain top. And that formula has not failed me. I have seen others "succeed" by it. And for many it is the only way. Many of us have come to think that his struggle we face as race is is required- that it is "normal". Many of us who are relatively "successful" have failed to see the struggles of our race for what it really is. We look at the success of other peoples and attribute it to their hard work. We have been taught not to see that advantages these group have had for such a long time. While we struggles with, slavery, civil rights, poverty, and psychological effect of those struggles, others were building wealth from the backs of enslaved peoples and YES- REPARATIONS!!!! The Jews, the Japanese, the White man.
Because of that they did not have to struggle as we did, because of that their children and their children's children did not and will not have to struggle as ours do and will. Even for us who are able to climb to a mountain that we see and is attainable - for many members of our race that is but a dream. While we have to struggle to reach that mountain, other peoples for year have had the mountain top come to them.
If we don't fight for reparation - we are guaranteed to face a struggle that the others don't. If we don't fight for reparations our children would always start life in a struggle.
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Posted 6/2/2009 11:05:42 AM
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It is very disturbing that we are still debating over this given right. Reparation is not a concept that originated from the discriminating or dehumanization of our race. "It is a law that any society or group that has willingly and knowingly commits a crime or “moral wrongs” against another, compensation is due from the institutions that represent the offending society or group." (Afro Centric.com) As you can see, in case such as ours, it’s the government who represents us the “people" yet that’s the same government that on a daily basis continue to enslave us. However like chatoyeh says reparation goes beyond repayment for our suffering, that fact is, what was done to us for 246 yrs did not stop there, it lives and breathes in us and our children and our children children.
We as race will never get what we truly deserve, but we have to be able to push through, understand and appreciate the struggles that have shaped us. We cannot continue to let our past determine our future, we have to fight more than the average, we have to try harder, and we have to educate ourselves. Is this an attainable goal? The answer to that is a resounding NO! So how do we move forward? Strength, determination and preservation, we are the new history for next generations, so we must make big strides and accomplishments to help them get thru the next 246 years. It is our new strength that will determine their outcome.
Blessup
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