The authors of a book advocating slavery reparations have called for the federal government to spend a staggering $14 TRILLION on the cause.
Duke University professor William A. Darity and writer A. Kirsten Mullen called for the mammoth reparations to be paid out, arguing that the federal government was “to blame for slavery.”
The duo, authors of From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the Twenty-First Century, added that the government should raise the massive sum because it “is also the only agency that can ‘the debt to pay’.
Her bold proposal comes as California’s Reparations Task Force has proposed handing out $223,000 to every black resident in the state.
Duke University professor William A. Darity and author A. Kirsten Mullen argued that the federal government should pay $14 trillion in reparations for slavery
In an interview with CNBC, Mullen said the federal government should foot the bill for reparations spending because it owes people from their history of slavery.
“The federal government has to pay this debt, that’s the entity that gave itself the right and authority to enslave black Americans,” she said.
Mullen also argued that the reparations were not only due to slavery, but also to a past history of racial segregation and voter suppression.
She said: “When we talk about segregation, we’re not just talking about separating blacks from whites – we’re also talking about almost a century of white terrorist attacks on black communities.
“These focused on two things: suppressing black voting and destroying black property.
“In some cases, the federal government was involved in these demolitions.”
Darity and Mullen are co-authors of From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the Twenty-First Century
Kamilah Moore, the chair of California’s Reparations Committee, has said she plans to be as “radical as possible”. She is pictured here with Vice Chairman Amos C. Brown in September
In their plea for the government to spend trillions to repay the descendants of slavery, the authors said the spending spree could be extended beyond 10 years to avoid fueling rampant inflation.
Another option, Darity argued, is that the reparations could instead be handed out as assets rather than outright cash.
Kamilah Moore appears to have tweeted support for a wealth tax, manor tax, or property tax to pay billions of dollars to the descendants of slaves
He said: “This could include giving them reparations in the form of an annuity or an escrow account or some sort of endowment where there is a limit to the amount that can be disbursed at any given time.
“What is crucial is that the decision on how to use the funds must ultimately rest with the recipient.”
Despite arguing that the government should distribute the whopping $14 trillion in reparations, the Duke University professor added that the funding shouldn’t fall on the taxpayer.
“You don’t necessarily have to collect taxes to do these massive spending projects,” he said.
That stance, however, is not shared by the California Reparations Task Force, which proposes giving $223,000 to every black resident in the state.
Reparations Panel chair Kamilah V. Moore tweeted over the weekend that the panel was considering introducing new taxes to settle the bill for the billions in reparations.
Her tweet came after the panel heard from U.S. tax law experts who said any proposals to redistribute wealth would directly benefit black people, as white people are more likely to be wealthy.
Moore has previously stated that she plans to be as “radical as possible” about her job.
At its Friday hearing, the committee heard proposals ranging from introducing new wealth taxes, incentivizing funding for reparations through tax breaks, or giving a tax credit to all residents who fall below an intermediate wealth limit.
The task force has been exploring ideas on how the multi-billion dollar reparations could be paid.
California is one of the leading US states when it comes to seeking compensation from its black residents. Morris Griffin, pictured, is one of the residents supporting the program
Many California residents have expressed support for potential redress, with some arguing that the $223,000 proposal is “not enough.”
The California Reparations Task Force was established in 2020 under Governor Gavin Newsom
The tax experts’ proposals came before an activist hit back at the panel’s plans, saying nearly a quarter million dollars each was “not enough”.
Rev. Tony Pierce also slammed the idea that California’s reparations should be limited to residents of the state.
“There should be no California residency requirements! We must encourage our people to return to California! What better way to encourage our people to return to California when we don’t have requirements?’ asked Pierce.
At a previous meeting, a participant also argued that the amount was not high enough, as he requested payments of $350,000 per person.
Marcus Champion of the Civil Justice Association of California called for “direct cash payments, tax exemptions, free college education, home equity grants, business grants, access to little to no business financing and capital.”
In 2022, the task force released a 500-page document detailing why African Americans who are descendants of 19th-century slaves were owed “full reparations.”
While many in the Golden State have publicly supported the indemnity plans, some have criticized the idea and called for more restrictions on who would receive the lump sum payments.
Josiah Williams, a member of the California Bay Area’s American Redress Coalition, spoke at Friday’s meeting, calling for targeted reparations.
He said: “I wanted to add that if there is anyone else who has their own claim, they can definitely write it down and get someone to champion it and I would support them in that effort. “But that’s for a certain group of people.”
Fox News spokesman and attorney Leo Terrell and former California gubernatorial candidate Larry Elder have also opposed the plans, branding the scheme “outrageous, unconstitutional and unlawful.”
In an interview with Fox News’ Hannity, the duo demanded details on how the massive payout would be funded, even calling the proposals “racist.”
“Reparation is taking money from people who never owned slaves to people who never owned slaves,” Elder said.
One issue facing reparations payments, and one that is often highlighted by opponents, is California’s history with slavery, since it was not admitted to the Union as a free state until September 9, 1850.
If the $223,000 payment were made to all of California’s 2.5 million black residents, the estimated total financial impact would be approximately $569 billion.