United States Representative Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) has sponsored a bill that claims the U.S. government has a “moral and legal obligation” to pay $14 million in reparations to Black Americans.
The bill, H.R. 414, claims that the reparations are owed “for the enslavement of Africans and its lasting harm on the lives of millions of Black people in the United States.”
The bill goes into further detail, claiming that the Federal Government is responsible for policies that caused “erosion of Black communities,” “White domestic terrorism,” segregation, “racialized mass incarceration,” and discrimination in various sectors.
It also calls for the National Park Service to “erect markers on every site where a Black person was lynched.”
Furthermore, the bill would mandate that the Federal Government “return, restore, or provide an adequate remedy for property unjustly stolen” through “racially restrictive covenants and eminent domain.”
The bill then states that the United States benefited from slave labor by an amount worth $97,000,000,000,000 today.
H.R. 414 is also sponsored by Squad members Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), and Greg Casar (D-TX). It was introduced in the House by Representative Cori Bush (D-MO).
Bowman says that the $14 million should be split between all 42 million Black Americans, with each receiving $333,000. He told Journal News that “It might be possible for it to be paid out over five or 10 or 20 years,” and suggested monthly checks.
Rep. Jamaal Bowman is asking for white Americans to pay blacks $14 trillion in reparations. He is one of nine backers of HR 414, establishing that the US has a “moral and legal obligation to provide reparations for the enslavement of Africans and its lasting harm on the lives of… pic.twitter.com/mpUH6531ws
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) January 18, 2024
Bowman also told Journal News that he believes that incarcerated individuals “should be able to vote.”
Bowman was recently criticized for claiming to accidentally pull the fire alarm in a House office building as Democrats were trying to stall a vote to prevent a government shutdown. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge and had to pay a $1,000 fine.
H.R. 414 has a total of 14 House sponsors but does not yet have a Senate sponsor, which means it cannot advance even in the event of a passage.
