The Case For Reparations By Ta-Neehisi Coatess Analysis

In “The case for Reparations”, the writer, Ta-Nehisi Coates writes about the various ways that African Americans have been prevented from attaining the American dream and why there is a strong case for reparations. Coates tells the story of Clyde Ross and his journey to obtain the American Dream and the laws that stopped him from doing so. This reading hits on a lot of topics that we have touched on in class and how they relate to why this so called dream is still just out of reach for most African American in today’s society. The reading however assumes that everyone has the same definition for the American Dream. The American Dream can mean different things for different groups of people. Maybe the American Dream for African Americans differs …show more content…
Coates way of explaining this is in the form of story of Clyde Ross. The government cheated Ross and his family because they played on the fact that his father couldn’t read. This left the family poor. However, Ross was able to turn it around when he moved to Chicago for a better life. He was able to get a good job and wanted to buy a house. That is where he hit a roadblock. The government did not grant legitimate financing for people like Ross. In order to buy a home he had to enter into a contract with a third party. Just when a black man thinks that he has made it the government pulls the rugs out from under him. However it does seem like African Americans are getting closer and closer to attaining that dream. One day we might reach it and it feels like we are only a few generations away from …show more content…
An example of this is the G.I bill, something we have read about more in depth and Coates also points out in this reading. Something else that was embedded into society is that the presence of a black family in a neighborhood decreases the property value. I feel like this is why black Americans tend to isolate themselves. Blacks tend to live with other black people to avoid this whole property value debate. They are actually doing themselves a disservice by doing this. Homeownership is a huge part of being American. It is something that people are proud of and strive for. The American Dream should not be that hard to attain. Unfortunately black Americans have a lot of catching up to do. Laws have kept Blacks disadvantaged for far too long while our white counterparts have been able to grow their wealth. This is probably why African Americans tend to have to work twice as hard to be on the same level as their white counterparts. So in my opinion there is a case for reparation because the reason that black people are behind is not because of anything that they inflicted on themselves. The problem I have with reparation is figuring out whom the government pays. Would the government pay all black families or just those affected by certain laws and how can they prove that they have been affected. This is a very tricky situation, which is why there hasn’t been any movement on it in