A fiery debate has erupted at the first congressional hearing in a decade exploring whether descendants of US slaves should be compensated. The House of Representatives subcommittee examined the legacy of the transatlantic slave trade and the path to restorative justice, considering a bill to set up a commission to study reparations.
Republican witnesses argued against reparations, with African-American writer Coleman Hughes stating that such restitution would insult many black Americans and divide the country further. Former NFL player Burgess Owens rejected the idea, saying that what strangers did to others 200 years ago has no relevance today. Republican leader Mitch McConnell has made clear no reparations bill will pass while he controls the Senate.
On the other side, actor Danny Glover told the panel that reparations would cure the damages inflicted by enslavement and forced racial exclusionary policies. Economist Julianne Malveaux emphasised the need to address structural inequalities affecting black Americans, such as disparities in schools and food access based on postal codes.
Writer Ta-Nehisi Coates, whose 2014 article reignited the reparations debate, argued that after 250 years of enslavement, America failed to extend its principles of liberty to all. The hearing took place on Juneteenth, commemorating the day Texas slaves learned of their freedom in 1865.
