According to William A. Darity and A. Kirsten Mullen, authors of “From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the Twenty-First Century.”
In an interview with CNBC, Darity, a professor at Duke University, and Mullen, a folklorist and writer, said the federal government was fiscally responsible because it was guilty of the enslavement of black Americans and legal segregation in the United States. United. Mullen said “the federal government was on board” both in suppressing the black vote and, in some cases, in destroying black property.
She added that “the federal government is also the only entity that has the capacity to pay the debt.”
Darity and Mullen told CNBC that the cost of the repairs would not need to be passed on to taxpayers.
“You don’t necessarily need to raise taxes to undertake these massive spending plans,” Darity said, citing the feds. $4.6 trillion Expenses related to Covid-19 for example.
However, Darity warned that repairs could lead to inflation if not properly deployed. To minimize the risk of inflation, Darity suggested, payment should be spread over a period of up to 10 years or reparations should be provided in the form of assets rather than cash.
“The bottom line,” Darity said, “is that ultimately the discretion for the use of funds should rest with the recipient.”
Watch the video to learn more about how reparations to Black Americans could help close the racial wealth gap.