Reflection on Coatess Argument - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages... The black people were denied the opportunity to access good housing facilities since they were cut out of the legitimate home-mortgage market starting from the 1930s to 1960s.I also believe that previous efforts by the subsequent government to improve the living standards of Black Americans through welfare programs, affirmative action and subsidized housing have been minimal. In my view, although the current Constitution grants equal protection of the law, racism and discrimination against Blacks still exist and thus only reparations can address these social problems. Although the author argues that reparations may be expensive given the huge spending by the government on other social programs that benefit the entire American population, I differ since a debt to Black people is owed and American has the resources to pay the reparations.  The black people deserve reparations since the available statistics indicate that they are at the wrong end of all the socio-economic indicators. For instance, blacks are three times likely to encounter homicide than other racial groups while the infant mortality rate of black neighbourhoods is twice that of the national average. Although the current Black people might not have been slaves, the truth is that they were denied their inheritance and good upbringing since their parents were poor and mistreated by the government. There is a prove that slavery is responsible for Black Americans socio-economic status due to discrimination, lack of property rights and lack of voting rights. ...Download file to see next pagesRead More