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Kamala Harris

Kamala Harris

What Do 2020 Candidates Mean When They Say ‘Reparations’?

By Commentaries/Opinions, Reparations

Even highly informed commentators lack a shared understanding of what the word means. By Conor Friedersdorf, The Atlantic — Earlier this year, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, and other Democratic presidential aspirants began speaking positively about reparations, in contrast to Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, who opposed the policy. Just 26 percent of voters favor reparations in polls. In the telling of The New York Times, this shift is due to the fact…

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African American slave family representing five generations all born on the plantation of J. J. Smith, Beaufort, South Carolina.

A Realistic Expectation of Reparations for Blacks

By Editors' Choice, Reparations

A direct cost of slavery is the cost of African-American life. How much is a life worth depends on a lot of personal factors. By Benny Williams, Ebony — Reparations owed to African-Americans in terms of dollars are insurmountable and nearly impossible for America to afford. No amount of money can repair the psychological damage African-Americans have experienced for centuries, and no amount of money can address the systemic racism that…

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Sen. Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.), a 2020 presidential candidate, poses for a photograph with attendees during a campaign stop in Des Moines.

Democratic candidates are backing reparations for African Americans. That could be politically risky.

By Commentaries/Opinions, Reparations

By Eugene Scott, The Washington Post — Over the past few days, several Democratic contenders for the 2020 presidential nomination have come out in favor of reparations for people descended from slaves. It is an idea that is popular among African Americans, but one that poses political risks. On Monday, former housing and urban development secretary Julián Castro spoke out in favor of reparations on MSNBC’s “Hardball.” “It is interesting…

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Sen. Elizabeth Warren

What Americans Think About Reparations And Other Race-Related Questions

By Commentaries/Opinions, Reparations

By Perry Bacon Jr., FiveThirtyEight — The New York Times published a story last week about how some Democratic presidential candidates — notably Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris — had said that they are open to the idea of the government paying reparations to black Americans as a restitution for slavery. The two candidates were cautious in their statements on the issue — both to the Times and in a subsequent Washington…

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Kamala Harris

Embrace of reparations highlights pivotal Dem contest for black voters

By Commentaries/Opinions, Reparations

By Amie Parnes, The Hill — The most competition for black voters’ support in recent memory is set to take place among the candidates vying for the Democratic Party’s nomination to take on President Trump. African-American voters for years have been a key constituency in the Democratic race, helping to assure former President Obama’s and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s nominations in 2008 and 2016, respectively. But the fight this year…

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Sen. Bernie Sanders waves as he takes the stage at the Our Revolution Massachusetts Rally in Boston, Mass., on March 31, 2017.

Bernie Sanders Asks the Right Question on Reparations: What Does It Mean?

By Commentaries/Opinions, Reparations

By Briahna Gray, The Intercept — AFTER SENS. KAMALA HARRIS and Cory Booker were asked about reparations for slavery in a Breakfast Club interview last week, the issue quickly became hot on the 2020 campaign trail, with candidates Elizabeth Warren and Julián Castro quickly voicing their support for the policy. Last night, the reparations question surfaced again when Sen. Bernie Sanders was asked for his position during a CNN Town Hall hosted…

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