People use the phrase “We are a nation of immigrants” to describe the United States. That is not the whole truth. We should say, “We are a nation of Indigenous peoples, enslaved peoples, and immigrants.”
I love that phrase above because what are those people actually talking about when they say “we are a nation of immigrants”? The statement that they propose we should actually start saying has truth to it, because that’s how this nation came to be.
Juneteenth has been an unofficial Independence Day for many Black people since June 19, 1865, when a Union General was sent to Texas to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation President Lincoln had signed 2½ years prior, and white Texans had ignored. Since President Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law two years ago, Juneteenth is now a federally recognized holiday.
When the colonists arrived Plymouth Rock, the Wampanoag had been here for centuries; it is their generosity that saved the Pilgrims from starvation and death. Today, land acknowledgement statements are read at civic events to recognize Native peoples. And more than a dozen states have reclaimed the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples Day.
In lieu of land acknowledgement statements, descendants of slaves seek reparations.
The call for reparations by injured ethnic groups is not new in America. For Japanese Americans interned in camps during World War II, the call has been answered. Section 105 of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, acknowledged, apologized, and made restitution for the fundamental injustices of the evacuation, relocation, and internment of Japanese Americans. The Act also established an Office of Redress responsible for authorizing tax-free restitution payments of $20,000 to eligible individuals of Japanese ancestry. Redress was paid to more than 80,000 claimants and totaled more than $1.6 billion.
Today, in a few municipalities, descendants of slaves are also receiving restitution.
In some parts of the US, reparations have begun
In 1912, Charles and Willa Bruce built a lodge and dance hall on Manhattan Beach. They and their customers were harassed by Klansmen, and in 1923, the buildings were destroyed in an arson fire and the land seized by the town by using eminent domain. Nearly a hundred years later, in October 2021, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law legislation to return two parcels of land on Manhattan Beach back to the descendants of the Bruce family. The Bruce family sold the property back to the town for $20 million.
Something that wasn’t mentioned here was how the land they were given was not zoned for development. The land wasn’t rendered useless but they just would’ve had “years-long permitting fight they would need to wage if they wanted to start building.” (Ellis, 2023) But what they still achieved with selling back the land was receiving this substantial amount of generational wealth. In the past, the U.S government sought to give freed slaves 40 acres and a mule, although this was a broken promise and only some received it, it shows that giving back land is possible. But it should be done in a fair way where the land being given does acknowledge the Indigenous people it had belonged to first, and also where there is a long-term financial benefit that can be received.
In May 2023, a reparations task force in California composed of nine members approved how the state would apologize and provide cash compensation to Black Californians harmed and discriminated against. Actual amounts and timelines for action weren’t provided. The taskforce is scheduled to present that information no later than July 1, 2023. The loss estimates range from $2,300 per person per year of residence attributed to over-policing of Black communities, to $77,000 total per person for Black-owned businesses’ losses and devaluations over the years.
Source: Chatman, A. (2023, June 17). The US has paid restitution before, and Juneteenth reminds us that Black Americans should be next. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/juneteenth-black-americans-owed-reparations-2023-6
Ellis, R. (2023, January 4). Family to sell Bruce’s Beach property back to L.A. County – Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-01-03/bruce-family-beach-la-county#:~:text=Six%20months%20ago%2C%20Los%20Angeles,acknowledging%20it%20had%20been%20stolen.
