I understand that I can trace my family roots back for generations in Lee County on my mother's side and Kershaw and Lancaster Counties on my father's side.  I know, without a doubt, that I am a descendent of slaves, but to what degree?  Some of my mother's ancestors were from the West Indies and some were Native Americans.  Such is the case of many African-Americans. 

For many African Americans, the mixtures are much more European.  And in many instances, such as in the case of Avery Institute in Charleston, South Carolina, this European ancestry was the basis for greater opportunity to acquire an education.  It's right there in the history books. Avery was founded for the purpose of educating mulattoes.  And this is one of the reasons I have difficulty supporting many of the proposals to pay monetary reparations to the descendants of slaves. 

My able colleague and good friend, Michigan Representative John Conyers, has introduced legislation in every Congress since 1989 to establish a commission to study the concept of reparations.  I support his proposal, and would vote for it, if given the opportunity.  I think it is important to explore the idea fully with as much compassion as comprehension.

I believe, however, that any committee established to thoroughly research such an initiative will find it very difficult if not impossible to determine who is really deserving of compensation, and if any, how much.  How many African-Americans can document that they are descendants of slaves?  What standards do you set for inclusion in reparations?  Will people have to prove that they have an 8th of African blood, or a 16th?   What about blacks who immigrated to the United States after slavery but still suffered through Jim Crow laws?  And what about those who are currently passing and have benefited from passing as non-African American, but would in all probability be at the front of the line if monetary reparations were made in order?  I find the more that you explore the issue, the more questions you raise and the more difficult it becomes to reach fair and proper answers.

Although I don't believe it is feasible to pay reparations directly to those who continue to suffer the  effects of discrimination and second class citizenship legally imposed for generations, I do believe that amends should be made.  There are programs that exist today aimed at abating the effects of 244 years of slavery and another 100 years of institutionalized racism perpetuated on those of African descent in America.  Through policies like affirmative action, we have begun to chip away at workplace discrimination.  However, it is very shortsighted to say that more than 14 generations of oppression and suppression can be erased in one generation.  

In South Carolina, blacks represent a third of the population.  The S.C. Human Affairs Commission's Annual report, released earlier this year, indicates that progress has been made in eliminating workplace barriers in State Government.  But it also showed African Americans hold a disproportionate number of the state's lowest-paying jobs while white men are overly represented in the top-paying jobs.  This clearly underscores that much more remains to be done. 

The federal government can demonstrate its commitment to righting the wrongs of the past by playing a role in efforts to provide African Americans the tools and opportunities to rise above the status imposed on them by the federal and state governments.  Generations of under- education, sub-standard housing, menial employment, and inadequate health care cannot be easily overcome.  Putting a little cash in the pockets of some of those affected, is not the solution either.  Providing opportunities to improve these conditions through meaningful policies like affirmative action and programs such as Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities, will, given meaningful time and honest efforts, eliminate the effects imposed by institutionalized racism. 

I feel certain that if my ancestors were asked what they hoped for their descendants' future that they would not have responded with a wish for a fistful of dollars.  They would have responded in public in much the same way that I heard my parents often pray in private, for good health and strength and the removal of those impediments that prevented a meaningful education and fair opportunities.  I often find myself praying a similar prayer for my children and grandchildren -- the ability to live life unfettered by the literal or figurative chains of the past. 

I am encouraged by the opportunities that currently exist for many African Americans today.  I also applaud those government and private sector entities willing to admit past mistakes and commit to rectify them.   Hopefully one day those chains and their effects will be a distant memory. 

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