Reparations for the Tulsa Massacre Essay Example

“Won't reparations divide us? Not any more than we are already divided. The wealth gap merely puts a number on something we feel but cannot say”(Ta-Nehisi Coates). This quote by Ta-Nehisi Coates suggests the idea that reparations are just suppressions that are made through the distribution of money or aid by the government or an individual to a group of people that faced injustices. This indicates that the real meaning behind reparations is just to hide the wrong that has been done in the past. If what Coates says is true, the reason behind the United States government paying reparations is to prevent the terrifying reality of the events from coming into view of the public eye. This can be seen throughout the history of the United States as there has been a multitude of instances where the government paid the survivors or the family of survivors. An example would be when Japanese Americans were put into internment camps after the bombing of Pearl Harbor because the government feared that they were spies for the Japanese forces. It was not until many years later that the Japanese Americans were given an apology and each of the survivors was given a couple of thousand dollars as reparation. This is just one instance of the government giving out reparations. There is another incident that many people are unaware of and that would be the massacre that happened in Oklahoma in 1921. This incident is known as the Tulsa Massacre or the Black Wall Street Massacre. Here, the death of hundreds of black men, women, and children occurred because of poor white folks that were jealous of the thriving black neighborhood known as Greenwood. It has not been spoken about for many years and now the government wants to pay reparations for those that did survive and the family of the deceased. However, the question that has appeared in opposition to the reparations is whether or not the reparations should happen. Although it may seem like an adequate idea to compensate those that were affected by the massacre, reparations are not the key to righting the wrong that had been done.

There can be some people who can make great points as to why reparations should be made to the survivors of the Tulsa Massacre, but the reparations would end up doing more harm than good as it will only serve as a reminder of the infliction of the tragedy that has taken place. There are many examples in the history of the United States where tragedies that were grave were never addressed until a vast amount of time has passed. An example can be seen in the Smithsonian’s A Long-Lost manuscript Contains a Searing Eyewitness Account of the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 by Allison Keyes, she states that the massacre happened in 1921 which was 100 years ago. The fact that the government had no intentions of addressing the wrongdoings in the past up until this point in time serves as nothing more than a reminder to the family of those that suffered from the loss of family members or homes. This is not the only instance where the reparations served as a reminder to those that have had to suffer in the past. Another example would be the “Trail of Tears”. If you were to go to the History website, it will present the details of what happened to the Native Americans before and after they were forced off their lands because the American government wanted more land and President Andrew Jackson came up with the Indian Removal Act. This act forced the Native Americans to uproot their entire lives and make a grueling journey on foot from the Mississippi River all the way to Oklahoma with the bare necessities. Here, they contracted many diseases such as typhus and whooping, leading to the deaths of many. They eventually saw reparation in the form of money from the United States government, but it is just a reminder of how cruelly they were treated and how they lost their homes and culture. 

Reparations will not be able to bring back those who died or undo the damage and suffering those who survived have gone through. There are many examples of people dying and suffering because of the choices that were made. In 1927 the Supreme Court gave the go-ahead for the states to practice a form of eugenics through the forced sterilizations of women who were deemed as defective so that society would no longer have people that were undesirable. These women had their choice taken away from them and after forced sterilization was abolished in 1987, the things that were done to them were not acknowledged for many years. The living victims of forced sterilization later saw compensation from the states that adopted the practice; however, even the hefty sum of money that they were given, does not reverse the procedure that was done without their or the trauma that they faced afterward. Another example of a tragedy would be the incident known as the Rosewood massacre of 1923 that can be seen if you were to look at the Britannica website. This incident was one that was racially motivated and led to violence which lasted for a few days. It has been estimated that about 200 people were killed in this massacre. The killings of the African American residents and the burning of their houses were caused because a white woman accused an African American man of attacking her. The living victims of the Rosewood massacre were given reparation of $150,000 by the Florida government in 1994 as it was forgotten about until years later. The town of Rosewood will never be the same again as the money will not bring back the people that died in the shootouts or burning buildings and it will most definitely not undo the damages that many families had to face after the violence was over.

Admittedly some people may say that it is necessary for reparations to be made to the families that have been affected by the Tulsa Massacre; however, there are other situations that are pressing and reparations will not change the people's attitudes towards African Americans. If you were to go on the CNBC website, it can be seen that if the government were to pay reparations to the descendants of slavery, it would cost almost 12 trillion dollars. This amount of money will benefit the people who choose to take the reparations and help them have a better livelihood and a better living situation. However, the attitude towards them will not change because even after so many years since the abolishment of slavery, African Americans in the United States are continuing to be treated differently than the people around them. Even with the money that could be given to them as compensation for what was done to their ancestors will not change the way the people treat or act around and instead could cause more violence to be directed to them. Also, even with the United States’ massive economy, there are more pressing issues that need to be addressed such as climate change. According to the Globalgiving website, it would take around $300 billion to $50 trillion to end or change the course of climate change. So, reparations are not the way to go as to right the wrongs that have been done. 

To sum everything up, reparations should not be issued as it is the easy way out of taking accountability for the tragedies that have been ignored until years later. The reparations would not only open up old wounds and remind the survivors and descendants of what had happened to them with no means of justice but also the fact that the money will be given to them will not bring back the people who passed in such incidents or undo the trauma and damage that has already been inflicted. It is like what Ta-Nehisi Coates has stated, “Won't reparations divide us? Not any more than we are already divided. The wealth gap merely puts a number on something we feel but cannot say.” This tells us that even if reparations are not made or if they are made, the bisect between people that have been created over years of ignoring tragedies will not go away. Therefore, reparations should not be made as they will do more harm than intended.