The false narrative of reparations

The idea that people or organizations that might have benefitted from slavery owe reparations to descendants of former slaves is not a credible assertion.

The basic question is this: Who owes whom how much? The answer is not in the current discussions and mea culpas about reparations.

Harvard Pledges $100 Million.pdf

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Harvard bears "moral responsibility" for slavery's role in the school's formative years, the university said today — and committed $100 million to study and atone.

· Faculty, staff and leaders enslaved more than 70 individuals during the 17th and 18th centuries, Axios' Erin Doherty reports from a Harvardreport out today.

· Many of its most notable benefactors also built their fortunes on slavery.

The big picture: Harvard joins Brown, Georgetown and Princeton Theological Seminary in "putting financial resources behind efforts to make amends," The New York Times reports.

· "Harvard benefited from and in some ways perpetuated practices that were profoundly immoral," Harvard president Lawrence S. Bacow said.

Among the recommendations from the report, conducted by a team of Harvard faculty:

· Developing and expanding Harvard's partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities, including funding summer programs to bring students and faculty from HBCUs to Harvard.

· Honoring enslaved people through memorialization, research and educational opportunities.

· Identifying the direct descendants of enslaved individuals who worked on campus or were enslaved by Harvard leadership, faculty or staff.

· "We further recommend that ... the university engage with these descendants through dialogue, programming, information sharing, relationship building, and educational support," the report said.

My take:

Harvard can afford to be this stupid. By Harvards logic, anyone who purchased cotton in the 1800’s should be held accountable. At least the Jesuits, who agreed to fund the same $100 million, say they’ll ask someone else to pay for their sins. So the answer to the question as to "who pays," is highly problematic.

If there are reparations, shouldn't they come from the African tribes that enslaved and sold their own people as slaves. Americans did not enslave anyone but the country did pay a huge price to free them.

In direct refutation of the lie from Hillary Clinton’s 2016 vice presidential running mate, who arrogantly and incorrectly said that America ‘invented slavery,’ we did no such thing. We ended it. Africa still hasn’t.

Thomas Sowell responds to Trevor Noah on reparations.

Trevor Noah makes the case for reparations for blacks in America. As always, the unspoken narrative is that of perpetual black oppression and white victimization. It is the siren’s call of victimhood and powerlessness. Thomas Sowell provides an alternatives perspective, and illustrates that the habits and work ethic that have worked for some groups can work for all.

And more from Sowell on the real story of slavery.

Thomas Sowell: The real history of slavery.

Thomas Sowell: Facts about slavery never mentioned in school.

Thomas Sowell: The hidden truth behind the end of slavery, Part One.

Thomas Sowell: The hidden truth behind the end of slavery, Part Two reaction

And here Sowell takes on the lamentable Noah Chomsky: