Oh, yes, we do owe them. We owe them a LOT.

Over the past week, as this day became more contentious, I've seen multiple mentions of reparations due.

To which one brainiac responded something to the effect of: "We don't owe you shit."

The OP in question took care of the brainiac. For my part, I'll put his remark down to gross ignorance and the usual white reluctance to give up any privilege.

And believe me, it is undeniably privileged to exist in, and benefit from, an America whose most important structures were built by enslaved men, women, and children. Not to mention our founding economies, all of which continue to benefit us today, since the industries in question rest on the foundations laid by those same enslaved people.

So yes, I’m a proponent of reparations.

The form those reparations must take is still a matter of discussion and dissent.

There's no agreement in the Black community — and most white people would rather not even talk about it.

Except for California, that is. California has put a lot of effort into figuring it out.

Elsewhere, reparations are being made. But it's scattershot. I've seen reports of cities making reparations. Church organizations have done the same. But these reparations benefit small segments of the Black and BIPOC population. For the rest, there's not even a consensus on who should benefit, and who should not.

Reparations are deserved — and desperately needed — on all levels.

For one glaring example: We need to make up for the inadequate materials and facilities in schools that serve Black children. That's a big one, because their education is our future.

And lest we forget: It's not just the fact that our white-majority lives are made possible on stolen lands. First, we took it from indigenous peoples. But there is also the property co-opted by whites after (for example) the Tulsa massacre. We've stolen labor (a practice which continues in some areas through updated variations on convict leasing). We've stolen inventions (Quick: how many items in your home were invented by Black creators? Do they get credit for them? Did they benefit financially from their own work?). We've benefited from Black bodies through medical research. We've even stolen Black cells. (Have you ever heard of Henrietta Lacks? Did you know her descendants still live in dire poverty?)

The theft of Black lands and property continues to this day, whether through the current version of urban renewal, through the racist undervaluing of Black homes that continues all around us — and through the loss of heirs property because of paperwork that doesn't exist because our racist system made it so.

And that land that was stolen a century ago? How do we make up for the loss of family wealth? Consider the Bruce family, who were ousted from their L.A. beachfront hotel in 1924. The city of L.A. finally gave the land back to them, and it's worth millions.

On the other hand, the Hilton started with one hotel in 1919. As a chain, it's now worth how much? Last year, "International hotel company Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. generated approximately 10.24 billion U.S. dollars in revenue."

Even if the Bruce's hotel was only modestly successful in comparison, it could easily be worth billions today. How do you compensate their descendants for a loss that enormous? A loss that was nothing short of the theft of their future?

I could go on and on about this.

I could do the work for you and dig up countless more links.

But instead, Im going to settle for the work I've already done. If you’re still uncertain about reparations and how they can be accomplished, you’ll find a list of articles here. Keep in mind, the list isn't complete. As I said, the issue is complex, multi-faceted and contentious.

Even if you've been staunchly anti-reparations, I urge you to start reading. As limited as the articles in my list might be, they'll give you plenty of reasons to rethink your position.