NPR, March 1st, 2019: 2020 Democrats wrestle with a big question: what are reparations?
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, California Sen. Kamala Harris and author Marianne Williamson have all in some way said they are in favor of reparations for African-Americans — providing compensation to people hurt by discriminatory policies like slavery, Jim Crow laws and redlining.
Warren has added that Native Americans should be a part of the conversation, as well.
But while multiple candidates have been quick to say that they support the policy, they now face both the difficult question of what that kind of policy should look like, and the very basic question of whether their proposed plans even meet the definition of “reparations.”
