Reparations: The Bigger Picture and Solution to Enhancing the Conservative Movement By Mimi Johnson

In the last decade, we have seen a huge movement involving genealogy and ancestry. Scientists are slowly perfecting ways to identify where we all come from around the globe, catapulted specifically by the Mormon Church and their massive database of gathered DNA.  Whether or not you agree with these at home kits or not, they have done tremendous good in reuniting families and giving a new found life to millions of people. 

Many feel that the Mormons are harvesting DNA from unsuspectingly naïve individuals, for nefarious uses, and others feel that they are working directly with the government in a way to garner any and all information on citizens.  The truth of the matter is that your DNA is everywhere, in public, at home, at work, you can’t escape shedding it wherever you inhabit. Your smart phones and computers pose the ultimate risk in having your identity compromised. 

There is an excellent show on PBS, called “Finding your Roots,” hosted by a Harvard Professor named Louis Gates Jr, nicknamed “Skip,” where he brings on various celebrities, most of which are black Americans with a small white American demographic, to trace their ancestries and to discuss the urban legends associated with their patronage.  It is no secret that black Americans cannot trace their lineage as readily and easily as white Americans, but this program can and has eliminated a lot of biased assumptions in the black community. 

Most black families assume that they have Native American blood to explain different hair texture or having a lighter complexion than others, or that their ancestors were raped by their white slave owners, therefore tainting their bloodline, resulting in a multitude of differences in skin color, hair texture, and facial features within the black race. 

In some instances, their assumptions are absolutely true, but Louis Gates Jr. was able to show most black Americans that not only was there not any Native American in their lineage, but that the vast majority of them were also descendants of free men and women, never having been enslaved. 

This revelation shook their being and there was a look of confusion on their faces as he explained, via documents and pictures, who their ancestors were, their occupations, and from where they originated.  They were so indoctrinated into believing that each person of black skin color was a victim, enslaved, tortured, or mistreated by white Europeans and Americans, that even when shown evidence, most were skeptical. 

Dr. Gates is not attempting to “whitewash” anyone’s struggles, but moreover educate masses with the truth, because, after all, it shall set us free.  Misdirected anger and false narratives are a disease in our current society, and I appreciate a program such as his, that shows the truth about our collective history. 

Many assumed that their great grandmothers and beyond were forced to lay with white men, thus creating mulatto children, but in many cases, they were ahead of their time and in loving, interracial relationships.

I must admit that those revelations surprised me as well, for I had always been taught that white southern men in the 18^th-19^th centuries were predators who viewed black women and men only as property.  Many of his guests sat there in disbelief, and even challenged his findings to ensure it was accurate.  It must be exceedingly difficult to accept a new truth, when you have been fed a specific narrative your entire life - it takes some adjustment. 

Conservatives are not thinking outside of the box when it comes to reparations.  My theory is that once people begin delving into their genealogy, there may not be as many reparations to dispense as the democrats claim.  As Dr. Gates has proven, facts matter. 

Legislation could be written including that any American applying for reparations must prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that in fact they are descendants of slaves.  Once people have assessed their lineage, this starts an entirely new dialogue and gives conservatives solid talking points.

 

I am not suggesting that there would not be many people compensated, but the numbers would be drastically lower than initially reported. I think democrats are analogous to hormonally raged teenagers who think their parents are stupid and uncool, so they must embarrass them, defy them, and prove them wrong at all costs.  The best parenting method is to let them make their own mistakes, suffer the consequences, educate, and move forward. Over time, the mistakes turn into wisdom. Conservatives should take a page out of Trump’s book and ask themselves “ at this point, what do we have to lose?”