Of human bondage

If ever there was a despicable violation of basic human rights, it was slavery. I would like to personally pay back everyone who’s had a family member in slavery, but I can’t. And I don’t think it will be easy for our government to award complete reparations, either.

Forgive me, but reparations are not a black and white issue.

First, we would have to establish exactly who was wronged. Of course, many freed slaves weren’t given the 40 acres and a mule promised by Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman, so those are due at a minimum. But finding all the heirs of heirs of heirs will be nearly impossible.

Information on slavery is still slowly creeping out here in California because of the efforts of historical researchers (see “Slavery: California’s hidden sin”). The enslavement of humans in our country was not always well-documented and made public. And how do you put a price tag today on what happened centuries ago, and should all citizens pay for the reparations through taxes? What about all the Americans of color who have come here in the last century, and subjugated no one, should they also pay for crimes to which they’re not connected?

One answer may lie in class-action suits against companies that made money from slavery, such as insurance companies. But those businesses were operating within the law, and no matter how repugnant it is, slavery was legal when many of the companies made their profits. And a court case looking at events that took place 150 years ago would be tough to try.

Something way beyond an apology is due, but what? The federal government does own huge portions of land, so maybe there are 40 acres available for those who were wronged. But perhaps it is best to move on, just help people remember what happened and make sure the facts come out.