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To the Editor:
President Biden said he supports studying giving reparation money for descendants of slaves. Some Democrats in Congress and black leaders want to pay reparation money to the descendants of the 4 million black slaves in America over 150 years ago because they are descendants of victims of injustice. Vice President Harris has also said she supports studying the issue. Slavery was a great shame of America’s history. No one denies it.
Senator Tim Kaine is wrong. America didn’t create slavery because slavery has existed within every culture historically documented. The native Indian tribes Christopher Columbus discovered all had slaves. All races have suffered indentured servitude or slavery as result of war. Prior to the 1700s there were more white slaves globally than black slaves. White Americans themselves were sold into slavery in the Barbary Coast of North Africa after being captured by Muslim slave traders. What legal “standing” do people who have never been slaves have in making a “case” for reparations for slavery against people who never owned slaves? The answer is none.
Only living former slaves have legal “standing” to pursue reparations from their former, but still living owners. What should be paid to descendants of free blacks who owned black slaves? According to Dr. Mary Grabar the ownership of black slaves by free blacks was a well-known fact with more than 3,500 slaveholders of African descent in the American South in 1830. To force people who never owned slaves to pay reparations to those who never were slaves — most of whom aren’t poor and some of whom are extremely rich — is absurd! America can be proud it became one of the first nations in the world to make slavery illegal. Sadly there are still 94 nations that allow slavery today and over 40 million people enslaved today! When it comes to slavery any “reparation” money would be much better spent fighting modern day slavery. There’s current day slavery present in America generating great suffering. The injustice from current day slavery is a more important issue than what happened over 150 years ago to past generations who are all dead and gone. Sadly, the institution of slavery is still very much alive even in America, it just goes by a new name: Human Trafficking. Every day, millions of victims, mostly women and includes one third children, are bought and sold around the world.
America could not end slavery before they got independence from England in 1776 because the King wouldn’t allow them to. Over half of American states passed laws abolishing slavery by 1804 which was the largest group of people who had voluntarily freed their slaves up to that point in history. This was almost 30 years before Christian, Wilbur Wilberforce, ended slavery in England. Islam, the Muslim religion, supports slavery today. The Bible and Christianity did allow volunteers to be contractual servants for six years. The servants had rights and benefits and were treated good and given many animals at the end of the six years. The Bible and Christianity are against forced slavery and says forced slavery is evil in Exodus 21:16 and 1 Timothy 1:10.
Just 27 percent in a poll support the idea of reparations for the descendants of slaves. Millions of blacks are rich. Seven blacks in the U.S. are billionaires like evil globalist billionaire Oprah Winfrey. Black Lives Matters has over one billion dollars. Larry Elder, a Black conservative talk radio host, was against reparations saying racism has never been less a significant problem in America than it is now and reparations would represent one of the greatest transfers of wealth in history. Elder was also concerned with the problem of figuring out who is owed money. Elder is right with the fact that many blacks aren’t the descendants of slaves but descendants of black slaveowners. I agree with black former NFL star Herschel Walker who is against reparations saying it would create separation and division.
Regardless of skin color we all need to be thick-skinned and not get easily offended. You want reparations? Go to Jesus and ask for forgiveness of all your sins. This is the greatest reparations of all time! You can never be a permanent victim or victim of your past if you are a Christian who loves Jesus. Only Jesus can make you truly free and work all things for good to those who love Him. The Bible says Jesus is near to the brokenhearted! Only Jesus can bring beauty from ashes. However you will never know what beauty Jesus can make from your ashes or messed up life until you give it to him!

D.D. Nave
Elizabethton