The reparations idea has gained new life in some circles thanks to radical writer Ta-Nehisi Coates, but it’s both wildly impractical and morally confused.
Yes, slavery was a grievous wrong, but no mere cash payment can make it right. Indeed, the whole effort is sure to increase America’s racial divisions, not end them. (Of course, Coates is deadly pessimistic about any hope for real racial peace.)
The problems are huge enough that both President Barack Obama and Sen. Bernie Sanders have nixed reparations as worth adopting. Pursue social justice and boost opportunities for underprivileged Americans, sure ‐ but don’t go down this dead end.