Reparations Should Be The Next Move For South Africa

Let’s us all continue to celebrate the Great Nelson Mandela. It is absolutely a miracle that he was able to forgive the people who imprisoned him for 27 years. He was a shining example on how we can use our God given  talents. Please continue to celebrate his legacy. He is worthy.

One thing bugs me.  I heard a BBC report that got me to thinking deeply about the future of South Africa.

The average medium income of White South Africans is 6 x that of Black South Africans today in 2013.

That’s contemptible.  Black South Africans deserves reparations too. 

It will take countless  generations to achieve income equality because White South Africans are so far ahead of Black South Africa. There mus t be a better plan to achieve equity.  

That's the cold truth! The state of South Africa  must face the truth.!

Here is my suggestion to South African leadership in the coming months and years. After you celebrate the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela, turn your vigorous attention to reparations in some form.

How can Black South Africans find income equity without some kind of  reparations. Forgiveness is the coolest thing. Money is tangible. Money is a equalizer. Please examine this possibility. Can you imagine what even  a extra $100 / month can do for a struggling Black South Africa Family? They deserve a whole lot more but you have to start somewhere.

Check out what I propose for ”The American Reparation Plan”. It’s a common sense approach to stimulate the US economy for years to come.

Thank You Oprah For Standing Up

Thank you Oprah for standing up for justice. You started a conversation about race and
racism in the United States. I posted my support for your comments and the flood gates opened. Most responses were negative. The one that got my attention was from a responder that made the following comments about my thoughts on my proposed "The American Reparation  Plan"

First: ALL races have been oppressed, indentured, subject to slavery etc... Second: These injustices and slavery experiences of your ancestors happened in the distant past...your ancestors (and mine) are long dead. Why should today's Blacks be rewarded for this? The opportunities for success abound in today's society...take advantage of it. (Many, including Oprah, have.) Third: You will have no peace until you get past your perceived "victimhood" mindset. Fourth: As far as an "Apology" goes, wasn't the blood of hundreds of thousands who died in our Civil War enough? Here is my response.  Thanks for your thoughts.  Thanks for throwing the “Challenge Flag” to use a football term. Now we have a dialogue. That’s what it is all about. I don’t deceive myself by thinking that The American Reparation Plan will be easy to accomplish but this is so important that it has to be realized.  Let me tell you a story that just happened recently. It’s nothing shocking. It’s just true. I hope you are a truth seeker. I went grocery shopping this morning on the south side of metro Atlanta. I shopped at a chain that  I frequent on the Northeast metro area. I’ve notice that this was a poor area of town but the store definitely needs an upgrade. And the  people were friendly and the store   was clean. While I was in line three gentlemen asked me  if they could  get ahead of me to pay for some turkeys that the church had purchased for some needy families in the church and they needed to get back to church and serve these families. I said sure. It reminded me that so many people are in need of  jobs .  Economic stress has paralyzed huge portions of the Black neighborhood. My point is that lots of people are suffering economically now especially people of color. I often hear the term “playing the race card” and I am tire of hearing it too. But sometimes it’s appropriate. I’m telling you this because I am sure that many will read my response to your comments. I am  so glad about it. You may or may not know that many comments were very negative towards me simply because I agreed with Oprah’s comments.. Some called me derogatory and negative names.  But let’s move forward because this country  is in  need of   healing and cooperation especially at this  pivotal point in our history. History is important. It allow us to avoid mistakes of the past and focus on the future. But we must get history right. You and I are not allowed to reconstruct history to fit our own beliefs and agendas.  For example, I noticed that you asked why should you expect  reparations after all these years? That’s a fair question. History records that US Government promise freed slaves doing the reconstruction period  “40 acres and a mule”  but it never happened.. Google this also.  There a wealth of information about this subject. Had  the promise of “40 acres and a mule”  been kept who knows where we would be now. The case for reparations would be dubious. The way history unfolded provides overwhelming evidence that reparations is in order. It’s never been a question of merit but it has always been a question of will and price. With the American Reparation Plan  it permits   America  to approach  this solution on a long term basis. This solution will last longer and be  less disruptive than any plan I know ever.  That’s why I am so excited about the possibilities  Who knows where the good of US of A would be now. It did not happen. We have to deal with realities as they  occurred and not as we wish they could be. Then came the Jim Crow Laws Jim Crow law, in U.S. history, any of the laws that enforced racial segregation in the South between the end of the formal Reconstruction period in 1877 and the beginning of a strong civil rights movement in the 1950s.  Please google this too. There lots of information on this period in US history. I can’t stress enough how important history is. You can find out most anything on the internet. The information about these matters is there. You must have the desire to know the truth and please don’t let people know less than you  dominate your thoughts. Find out for yourself.. Now do you know about the civil rights movement? It  don’t seem so distant  when you approach it like this. If you think you are going to get a fair  and balance information on African Americans from Rush Limbaugh , Sean Hannity and others  talk show hots you are sadly mistaken. They have their agendas. Both Rush and Sean  are masters at what they do.. The Scriptures also  speak about reparations. Please google it up and see for yourself. Let me tell you briefly how I got to this point. I went to get my Drivers license renewed at the DMV. Guess what? They asked me for my birth certificate, social security card, picture ID and proof of my home address.  I didn’t have  the birth certificate and social security card and my valid state issued ID card was not good enough.  There was no sensible explanation. I was angry beyond belief. After all African American are the most documented  people in the history of the world. So  the State of Georgia knows who I am without a doubt. I am  a son of a slave and sharecropper. It’s well documented. C  Many things that had happened in my past were brought to the forefront with my experience with the DMV. I relived them all over again.  The DMV gave me a temporary license until October of this year. It took several weeks to get everything together. I finally got my license. For those several weeks I felt that I was a foreigner in my own land. I was no longer a citizen  of the USA. I joked to my sister that I expected to be deported soon. But I couldn’t figure out to what country. After I calmed down I got   focused again on how to turn this experience into something positive. I wanted to turn my lemons into lemonade   Mamme, Can you give me some insight into why the African Americans are so far behind economically and educationally?  At some point you have to conclude that The Black man is truly inferior or something else is wrong. Is  He is inferior? You can understand why some people think he is cursed or inferior because it lines up with their misguided beliefs. It’s a double self fulfilling prophecy. People have a tendency to rise to the occasion or lower themselves to your persistent  expectations. I believe, why should African Americans accept secondary citizenship in a land where we disproportionately built? We built it with our blood, sweat, tears and even our lives?  When will we be paid for the work we’ve done? When? That’s the real issue. To expect Black America to really compete on a level playing field of White America would be like expecting the  Atlanta Falcons to go to the super bowl with a win loss record of 3-8. Even if they won all remaining games it’s still will be impossible to do.  Sorry Falcons but this is a good example. It’s time we face the truth. I  hope for a better tomorrow for all. I noticed that you think that I still have the victim mentality. I certainly hope I don’t. I am hopeful and believe that America’s future is brighter than ever before and once again the Black man will contribute in a great way to the success of this great nation.  As a matter of fact, who else is uniquely qualified to lead the greatest nation ever?  By the grace of God this will happen. I am very proud to be Black. I also know that things have to change for us to prosper on a wide scale. Trust me, my ideas are not at all popular with many in the Black community because many are so beat down that they can’t see the possibility of reparations can be realized. Do you see this on Rush Limbaugh or even “Meet The Press?”   Of course this will be a miracle and I believe in miracles. There is no question in my mind that reparation will benefit all America. Of course the Black community will benefit initially but the entire American community will benefit as much.  This is not smoke. This is true.   I challenge you to investigate the possibility for yourself. I’ve recognized so many benefits myself and perhaps you can think of a few yourself. The American Reparation Plan will be the greatest stimulus to the world economy ever in the history of the United States.  Other benefits are as follows; 1)      The welfare and food stamp rolls will be cut by over 30%; 2)      White unemployment will reach a level of about 2% to 3%  within  3 to 5 years or less. 3)      Black unemployment will decrease from 12% to about 9%-8% 4)      Many existing businesses with be stabilized on a long term basis. I can’t think of a business that will not benefit. 5)      Black businesses will be created and sustained at a record pace. They will be creating jobs in the Black community and the larger community too. 6)      The American Reparation Plan will place America on a path of economic boom unmatched in history 7)      All Americans will feel better about themselves because Their Beloved Country have made a good faith effort to pay for past injustices that we all can be proud. That will be a wonderful day to put this “elephant in the room’ behind us. You spoke of an apology. The question of apology is not high on my list. It’s really not that important to me. My main focus is to make sure I’ve did my part to leave America better for future generations. It is so evident that money makes  many things better for all humans. This is a fact for sure. There is lots of evidence to prove this point. The bigger point  is this, apologies are good but reparations will be a tangible  asset that will do great things  to improve all American  lives for years to come.  The American Reparation Plan will change generations to come. Thank you for your interest and consideration.

Confederate Vets’ group wants Deal to bring back Watson statue

By James Salzer

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Leaders of Georgia’s Sons of Confederate Veterans are urging Gov. Nathan Deal to bring the Tom Watson statue back to the Capitol once a statehouse renovation project is completed.
State officials are moving the Watson statue across the street as part of an extensive renovation of the west steps and entrance to the Capitol. Once the renovations are done, the statue is to remain in the park area across the street, saving the $50,000 to $60,000 it would cost to move it back.
Civil rights leaders and some lawmakers cheered Deal’s decision to move the statue of Watson, a once populist politician and publisher who later vilified blacks, Catholics and Jews.
“It is a dangerous thing anytime there is an attempt to rewrite or cover up any people’s history,” Jack Bridwell, Georgia’s SCV division commander, said in a press release. “The current decision to begin removing statues of Georgia’s elected statesmen from the Capitol grounds just because some vocal individuals today may not understand or agree with all of their political decisions a hundred years ago is historical revisionism at its best and an outright attempt to steal our heritage and history as Georgians at its worst.”
Georgia Building Authority officials say they haven’t determined when the statue will be removed, but they said a few weeks ago it would be in mid-November.
Deal, who approved the move, said, “The real reasons (for the move) were safety for people coming and going from the Capitol, and the steps needed to be repaired. And the statue was in the way.”
The Anti-Defamation League is among the groups applauding the move.
“We are grateful to Governor Deal for acting to remove the statue,” said Shelley Rose, associate director of the ADL Southeast Region. “In doing so, he sends a clear message that he will not tolerate the hatred and bigotry that defined so much of Watson’s career.”

 Learn about "The American Reparation Plan"

The Impact of "The American Reparation Plan'

I believe that  a disproportionate amount of   America’s great wealth is directly related to slave labor and cheap labor provided by Black Americans over the years.  In other words, our ancestors worked their fingers to the bone so  that White Americans  and others will have the opportunity to live in this great land and prosper while  African Americans are expected to work significantly harder than any other race of people and come out with short end of the stick.  I am tired of this being played out constantly.

It’s time for a change.

The sad story is that many  African Americans believe that they are in a hopeless situation. Let’s talk about truth now. I believe that many Americans are satisfied with fact that Black people are assigned to an  unequal status.  That is totally wrong. Sometimes we are guilty of not demanding equal treatment for ourselves and we shouldn’t accept this expected position in society.

Where is the outrage?

 Are  we so complacent with phrases like “when the larger community catch a cold the Black community gets pneumonia.”  It’s a true statement but I am tired of hearing it .  There is no way in the world that this    statement should be true  but it is. Have you forgotten about the plight of Black America?

After all this is the United States Of America,” One Nation Under God, Indivisible, with liberty and Justice For All.” Have we forgotten that?  Or do we remember it only when we need all the races to fight a war?

. My White Brothers you are tire of hearing this too aren’t you? I hope so. Because We can do something about this.  It takes commitment. It takes a long term commitment. Right now America is not fully committed.

So much of these problems can be solved by money. It costs America Billions of dollars every year to keep Black America “ in it’s place.” Why not use that same money to lift us up?  Solve some of the financial woes of the Black community is relatively simple and less expensive than what’s in place now.

It’s cheaper to set Black America free than to hold on to some kind of economic bondage.  This the 21^st century and  All have to change our mindsets .

Some segments of the Black community are in dire straits financially. This is not mentioned much in the media by the way. It’s taboo.  It seems that the focus of the media is on maladies of the African American community with no attention on how we got here.

We did not  get in this shape on our own. We have had lots of help. That’s obvious.

We have had many many years of oppression and neglect. Let’s not fool ourselves by thinking they there is a silver bullet to erase the past.

 I know we can’t live in the past but we can forget it either.

We need a long term  commitment and support from our Federal & Local  Governments.

 There is no magic bullet. I want America to make progress on closing the income  gap between Blacks and Whites in America as soon as possible. I  don’t want future generations facing   some of these unsolved economic problems in  the 22^nd  century.   We should focus on solving these problems now. Close these unfair income  gaps.  There shouldn’t be a disparity among the races. After all this is the land of opportunity for all.

No way we should be discussing inequities of any sort between the races of people even in the 21^st century. We squander huge opportunities for our nation when we do this. Let’s raise expectations of all America by valuing all her citizens.

 After all we are all part of one human family. Whoever tell you anything different is not  operating with all the facts. Please forgive them.

  I don’t want  a greater opportunity than all the rest. I want an equal opportunity under the law. I want an equal opportunity to achieve  my financial goals.  This country should dedicate herself to making this a reality for all her citizens and not for select groups .  Everybody should be committed to this ideal in my opinion because it makes it better for everybody in America and perhaps the world. It  seems to  me the US should have this as a priority too.    It makes sense to me. 

   All America have benefited from the   extremely hard work Black American  ancestors  have provided  to this American system. They  worked generation after generation with one goal in mind. That goal was to make it better for future generations.. They have succeeded beyond belief and I am so grateful. They were forced to work for free believing that one day their offspring’s will enjoy the fruits of their labor.

It’s a  beautiful thing to know even in their deaths my ancestors are still contributing to the wealth and well being of their beloved country. That’s deep. They are connected to this country in a big way even today.

But now is our time and responsibility to finish the race.

This effort requires all of us to do our very best to make this a reality. Let’s get started. It’s already late.

The greatest  nation in the history of the world owes much of her greatness to a voiceless people.  History is the witness.  

It’s time  for America to “come out of the closet” and acknowledge that  just honoring African Americans for past contributions is not enough.  We need to be paid  damages so we can take control of our own destinies and level the playing field as much as possible.

Don’t you agree that  this present system is skewed and  flawed?

This country owe  us this much. I also stated earlier that no amount of money can justify what happen in the past but I can assure you that many problems  can be solve by money.

 That’s  why I am proposing The American ReparationPlan. This plan will last at least 30 years. Each Adult African American  will receive $2500-$3000/ month over 30 years.

No new taxes  will be propose to pay for this plan. Now that’s a Miracle.

The American Reparation Plan will Cut  the entireWelfare and Food Stamp Programs as Much as 30%!

Do I have your attention yet?

Read on.

 Listen to me.

This plan will work.  I am so sure of this. It just makes common sense.

I  am so excited that day by day I  am inspired by another unintended benefit of this stimulus plan.

This is exciting g stuff to me! It’s inspired .

It is also an economic plan that will stimulate the economy from the bottom up. I coined this new phrase . It’s “trickle up” economics .  Everybody will benefit from this plan .  Now that’s just plain cool.

Today is the right day  for  us to enjoy the fruits of our ancestor’s  labor. Historically African Americans disproportionately contributed to the wealth and greatness of this nation. Today we are doing the same thing. It’s time for us to reap the fruits of the promise land too. No way in the world is it fair  for our unemployment rate  to be so high. This is no accident.

Let’s face  it. 

We will  not catch up financially at this rate of  economic growth.  

Can we talk? This system is not designed for us to catch up. There is no governmental commitment to do so.

The American Reparation Plan is our inheritance. Let’s go get it. Let’s petition our Government for our inheritance.

 We’ve got money in the bank.

Again,I am so tired of hearing the phrase” when the larger community catch a cold the Black community has pneumonia.” True statement but it is something that US should be ashamed of. We as American cannot become hopelessly complacent.

Let’s think outside the box!

 Many of the problems in the Black community can be solved.

The Black Community can’t solve all their problem by themselves nor should they be expected. Our problems are America’s problems. We do not live on an island. We do not operate in isolation. Never have operated in isolation and probably never will. 

 That’s the radical truth.

 The right kind of financial plan  will solve many  problems in the Black community.

 A plan like “The American Reparation Plan” has never been tried. I am not skeptical at all. I am sure it will work better than what we have now. The present plan is broken.

 Black America’s ancestors  supplied countless man hours of free and cheap labor? America prospered greatly because of this. In other words, No way  for America  to be so great without  all the great contribution of  Black America. We all can agree. Can’t we?

I go a step future and say that we help paved the roads for all American.  European immigrants are probably the greatest benefactors. Our ancestor’s investment of free and cheap labor  allowed  many immigrants to prosper and adjust to the American way .

 We are  truly a nation of immigrants. All have benefited from this free and cheap labor except the Black man himself. It’s time that he benefited  as well.  It’s the right thing to do . So let us do it.

   Can you imagine any  business owner  today  with free labor?  That  will give them an  unbelievable  unfair advantage  over  their competitors?  Labor cost   makes up most of the expense of doing business in America. Business owners know this.  The work place is always evolving, If you are a business owner wouldn’t it  be nice if you had no labor cost or  very low labor cost all the time? This is what happened for many years to the African American community. We have made sacrificial contributions to this beloved land. Why shouldn’t we be rewarded appropriately now?  I don’t think  being paid for our work is not asking too much. It’s only fair and just

There is no greater time in history to bring reparations to pass than now. I believe this so passionately.  The time is right.

 This is  the greatest opportunity in history to do this. So let’s not  drag our feet anymore. Let’s do it now!

In recent years there have been several attempts to  rescue and stimulate this American economy. Some credit President Obama and his allies for stabilizing the banks and wall street, the rescue of Auto makers in Detroit(GM stands for Government Motors some critics say).  In other words, under President Obama’s leadership, this country’s was brought back from the economic abyss. I agree with this assessment. 

But the recent attempts to stimulate the economic did not “trickle down to huge segments of the Black community.

The struggle is  still great for many African Americans . Paying Black American  for past and present injustices  is quite appropriate at this time.

You may ask what is reparation.? Reparation means the act of making amends or giving satisfaction for a wrong or injury;

Reparations for slavery is the idea that some form of compensatory payment should be made to the descendants of those who have been enslaved by the Atlantic Slave Trade.

 The reason I named  this plan, “The American Reparation Plan”  is because it is appropriate. All of America will benefit. Why not call it that?

The American  Reparation Plan  will work as a stimulus for all Americans no matter their socio economic level because it stimulates the economy from the bottom to the top. No segment of society will be left out. The sweet thing about this plan is that it will not increase tax $1.  The plan will redirect  the roughly $65 billion from the welfare and food stamp programs and send it to all  qualified adult African American in the US.  This will cover about 90% of the Black population.

  I will name a few industries to make my point. Banks will benefit, all areas of automotive industry, furniture, housing industry(including new and existing; and renovations-repairs, appliances, roofing, etc.) electronics, Iphones, computers,etc… all will benefit as well. Get the picture?

Voice your opinion and get involved.  Start today!

 Thanks

Horace Justice