Topic: Debt Payment

During the July 2019 Democratic primary debates, candidate Marianne Williamson argued that reparations are a debt payment for services rendered rather than financial assistance. Williamson proposed a payment of $200 billion to $500 billion, citing the historical promise of 40 acres and a mule for four million former slaves. While she acknowledges the math actually reaches into the trillions, she suggests her lower figure is more "politically feasible" for the current American climate.

The original intent of affirmative action as a repayment for slavery has been diluted as the program expanded to include women and all immigrant groups. Data suggests that post-slavery immigrants are often overrepresented in elite universities and corporate hiring compared to the ADOS population. This shift is viewed as an insult to the descendants of those who provided the forced labor that built the nation's early economy.