Biden supported the idea of a reparations study during his own presidential candidacy for 2020, but was unable to fully endorse the legislation itself. His government is not testifying at a hearing on Wednesday in a sub-panel of the House Judiciary Committee on the remedy measure, but efforts by House Democrats to put the issue back on the party’s agenda could lead the White House to take a more direct position.
“It is clear … that the Democratic Party leadership is in favor of this legislation,” said Kamm Howard, a witness at Wednesday’s hearing and national co-chairman of the National Council of Blacks for Reparations. “The president would have a duty to propose legislation favorable to his party in Congress. And then let’s look at this legislative process. “
Biden won goodwill from black activists and social justice advocates for actions early in his presidency that, they said, signaled his commitment to taking racial equality work beyond discussion points. Witnesses who will attend the hearing said that scheduling it within the first 100 days of the Biden government was an important first move to move the bill forward.
The White House did not return a request for comment on the reparations legislation.
However, even longtime repair advocates have recognized the challenges in getting it passed. It is certain that he will face strong resistance from Republicans in both houses, diminishing his chances due to the narrow majority of Democrats. Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell publicly opposed the idea of reparations in 2019, noting that his stance reflected that of former President Barack Obama.
“We are very active in getting the number of co-sponsors and the number of votes needed to pass the Chamber’s legislation. We know that we will have more difficulties in the Senate, ”said Howard. “With the Democrats losing some seats in the House, coming to [a majority] it will be a little more difficult, but we think we can do that. ”
If the legislation passes, a commission of more than a dozen experts will be created to review the role of the United States government in supporting the slavery of African Americans from 1619 to 1865 from a financial and legal perspective. Next, I would recommend to Congress ways to educate Americans about the legacy of slavery and alleviate its harm.
Black Americans represent 13% of the country’s population, but make up less than 3% of its wealth. While advocates of reparations perceive a new opening during the Biden government in the face of more recent racial injustice, they have also incorporated centuries of systemic inequalities against African Americans in their argument to approve the bill. Several cited Jim Crow laws, discriminatory housing practices and a justice system that has disproportionately impacted black communities through mass incarceration and police violence.
Even so, the HR 40’s progress continues in the early stages and the bill will have to compete for attention with higher profile proposals that would also help black communities struggling with systemic economic disadvantages. Chief among them is Biden’s $ 1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill, which includes provisions for minority-owned businesses and health centers in colorful neighborhoods.
In addition, Congressional Black Caucus has placed housing subsidies and access to vaccines at the top of its list of legislative priorities, pointing them out as the most immediate means of mitigating crises that disproportionately affect black communities.
Several moderate Democrats also supported smaller-scale solutions to replace direct payments to African Americans. Harris, for example, proposed a tax credit in 2018 that would provide financial relief for black middle and lower income families.
But advocates of the reparations talk say that these limited proposals should not replace studying the comprehensive concept of restoring what slavery has stolen from generations of African Americans. Coronavirus’s excessive tribute to the black population and last summer’s protests only increased his interest in putting pressure on Biden, making the HR 40’s pull at this Congress a new test of the new president’s commitment to serving black communities.
While compensation advocates like what they are hearing from Democratic congressmen about institutional reforms in housing, health and criminal justice, they say that direct payments to African Americans are still their ultimate goal.
“The remedy is very specific to the damage that has been experienced and that people are still suffering,” said Dreisen Heath, an advocate for the Human Rights Watch program that he is expected to testify at Wednesday’s hearing. “And so, even when you talk about ways of redress, compensation is a viable measure of restorative justice and absolutely needs to be examined and calculated to the fullest extent.”
William Darity, a professor of public policy at Duke University whose work has focused heavily on reparations, said that if the Democrats’ goal is to close the racial wealth gap, a handful of individual programs will not succeed.
“We are talking about going from about $ 2.5 trillion to $ 13 trillion in wealth among black Americans,” said Darity. “So, I would like to see how each of these individual initiatives would actually do that. And I’ve never seen anyone really demonstrate it in any convincing way. “
Howard, who will also testify at Wednesday’s hearing, pointed to the fact that HR 40 has the largest number of co-sponsors in its history – 173 Democrats – and the support of Democratic leaders as a sign that the project has staying power. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), the main sponsor of the legislation, also expressed confidence in her chances at the 117th Congress. Jackson-Lee did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Whether or not the bill gets Biden’s endorsement and subsequent signature, repair experts see the next four years as their best chance of progressing on the issue, whether through direct payments or recognizing the legacy of slavery – something that US government not formally done before.
“As we are finally having a national conversation about repairs, and to the extent [as] there seems to be evidence of growing support for reparations for black Americans, ”said Darity. “I think we have to do it the right way.”