There are vast inequalities between Black and white Americans in numerous facets of American society. Even today, more than 150 years after emancipation, we still feel the legacy of slavery in the culture and demographics of America. The institution of slavery is embedded in the very foundation of America, and gone unaddressed, this racist culture has informed many other discriminatory policies towards Black Americans. Such policies include redlining, which forbade Black families from purchasing homes in certain areas and obtaining loans lead to generational wealth inequities, and greatly impact one's life opportunities and outcomes [1] . For example, despite being 13% of the total US population, Black Americans hold only 3% of the total household wealth in America [2] . Black Americans and white Americans also own homes at incredibly unequal rates: only 42% of Black Americans are homeowners compared to 73% of white Americans. 

Interestingly, homeownership and wealth inequalities can be traced back to an unfulfilled policy promise post-emancipation: 40 Acres and a Mule [3] . Recognizing the significant barriers they would face, such as lack of access to housing, jobs, and education, newly emancipated slaves, advocated for each formerly enslaved person to receive 40 acres of land and the means to work it. However, the government soon overturned this policy, displacing many Black Americans from their land and giving it back to white Americans instead. These land grants could have provided freed people an avenue for self-sufficiency. So many of the racial inequities in America today can be traced back to this initial action (or rather, inaction), as it disrupted a movement for creating wealth and generational wealth for Black Americans. 

More than 150 years later, it is time we give Black Americans what they are owed. I understand that you may think too much time has gone by, or that the task of addressing the immense socioeconomic gap between Black and white Americans created by slavery is too gargantuan to be tackled. I disagree with this sentiment. Reparations face significant obstacles, but these policies are desperately needed to begin addressing the inequalities between Black and white Americans. Black Americans are not the only beneficiaries of these policies- America as a whole will benefit from reckoning with systemic racism and a communal healing process from the trauma of the past 400 years embedded within the very inception of this country. To live up to its core tenets of freedom and equal opportunity, America needs to acknowledge its wrongs and begin to right them through meaningful legislation. 

I will outline several policy options below for reparations for Black Americans, and at the end, advocate for those which I believe to be the most effective with the fewest trade-offs. 

Direct Payments:

An initial and obvious choice for reparations is giving Black Americans direct cash payments. There are various calculations for the amount to award beneficiaries, but a common method is taking the total household wealth in America ($107 trillion), and awarding an amount proportional to the Black population. Because Black Americans are 13% of the total population but only own 3% of the total wealth, we should allocate 10% of the wealth ($10.7 trillion) to Black Americans. There are an estimated 40 million descendants of slaves [4] , meaning each descendent would receive $267,000. This amount would be a good start at addressing the inequities between Black and white Americans, as well as kickstarting an attempt at lessening the generational wealth gap. However, a major tradeoff of this policy option is that in the current political climate, and especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, direct cash payments (however valid), stand almost zero chance of being passed as a bill. Furthermore, this policy would place a large burden on recipients as it would be up to them to prove their lineage to a slave, creating possibly significant administrative issues. 

H.R.40: Commission to Study Reparations 

A second policy option is one already in existence: H.R.40 [5] , a bill aimed at creating a commission to study reparations. Creating a commission to study reparations would indicate a turning point in America’s response to its legacy of slavery and historically racist policies. H.R.40 would only cost an estimated $20 million [6] , making it significantly cheaper than direct payments. Passing H.R.40 could provide significant momentum for the case for reparations and possibly start a national dialogue surrounding the issue. The House of Representatives has already passed H.R.40 [12] , but is highly unlikely to pass in the Senate; It has been in circulation for over 30 years, illustrating the difficulty in passing any legislation that touches on reparations for slavery. One trade-off to this option is that it does nothing to directly implement reparations and give Black Americans what they are owed. It is a research study, and arguably the funding and brainpower allocated towards H.R.40 could be better used to directly implement a form of reparations. 

Housing Grants and Baby Bonds:

A third policy option takes its inspiration from the small town of Evanston, Illinois. The town of Evanston awarded reparations to Black Americans in the form of $25,000 housing grants [7] . Using this policy as an outline and putting it in the national scope, we would award $25,000 in housing grants to descendants of slaves 18 years and older, and a baby bond of $25,000 to those under the age of 18. The baby bonds provide a cheaper way to award more reparations, as these bonds will increase in worth over time. In total, this policy would cost $1 trillion, using the same 40 million recipient estimate as previously [8] . This option is unique in its direct link to the historically racist policies tied to land dispossession such as 40 Acres and a Mule and redlining policy, as it provides Black Americans with greater opportunities for homeownership. Due to the direct tie to a past policy, this option is more politically feasible than direct payments. Additionally, it would not face the same administrative issues because this policy would be granted to all Black Americans affected by redlining, taking the onus off of recipients who need to prove descendancy to a slave. 

Educational Reform:

A key component to addressing systemic racism and the wrongs of slavery that are still felt in American society is to address educational reform. This option can take a two-pronged approach: first, with the teachers and second, with the students. To begin, I propose an enhanced and historically accurate history and civics program, through classes dedicated to illustrating the connections between slavery and modern day inequalities, as well as how to be more active and informed citizens in the future. Additionally, in order to be accredited, prospective teachers will have to undergo trauma-informed and anti-racist teaching programs. I estimate the cost of this policy to be $4.8 million, looking to the The American History and Civics program as a proxy [9] . Although there is much discourse surrounding critical race theory in schools, this policy is more politically feasible because of its emphasis on history and civics. These programs would have to be optional on a state-by-state basis, but those who opted in would be given grant money as an incentive. 

Public Apology:

Finally, it is of utmost importance that the highest office of the United States government officially apologizes for, and recognizes the generational harm done by the institution of slavery. In 2008, the House of Representatives issued an apology, but no higher governmental office has ever done so [10] . This apology has zero estimated cost and would begin the necessary conversations about racial inequities and collective healing. Furthermore, an apology from the President for harms done in the past would illustrate how these policies actually impact and inform the modern day politics, culture, and demographics of America. The pay-off from such an apology would be significant, however, the political climate again renders this option low in political feasibility. 

Analyzing the pros and cons of each policy option outlined above, I believe that the package with the highest pay off for Black Americans and the greatest chance at political feasibility would be the Housing Grants and Baby Bonds option, the education reform option, and the public apology. Together, this package addresses short-term and long-term wealth inequalities, and also has a strong focus on creating a much needed dialogue surrounding America’s history of racism. In total, this package would amount to $1 trillion. This number at first appears incredibly large, but placing it in the context of Biden's infrastructure plan which costs an estimated $1.3 trillion [11] , we see that this number is a politically acceptable amount if only the government deems the issue of reparations important enough. As such, it is up to us, the people, to demand our government to acknowledge its wrongs, and pressure it to right them. Reparations for Black Americans will benefit American society in numerous and lasting ways, and it is an issue that only grows with importance the longer it is ignored. 

1. Ray, Rashawn, and Andre Perry. “Why We Need Reparations for Black Americans.” The Brookings Institution, April 2020, https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/BigIdeas_Ray_Perry_Reparations-1.pdf.

2. Bureau of Economic Analysis. “Gross Domestic Product: Fourth Quarter and Annual 2018 (Initial Estimate),” U.S. Department of Commerce, 28 Feb. 2019, https://www.bea.gov/system/files/2019-03/gdp4q18_ini_2.pdf. 

3. McCammon, Sarah. “The Story Behind ’40 Acres and a Mule.” NPR Code Switch, 12 Jan. 2015, https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2015/01/12/376781165/the-story-behind-40-acres-and-a-mule.

4. Lynn, Samara and Catherine Thorbecke. “What America Owes: How Reparations Would Look and Who Would Pay,” ABC News, 27 Sep. 2020, https://abcnews.go.com/Business/america-owes-reparations-pay/story?id=72863094. 

5. "H.R.40 - 117th Congress (2020-2021): Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act." Congress.gov, Library of Congress, 14 April 2021, https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/40. 

6. “H.R. 40, Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act,” Congressional Budget Office, 17 May 2021, https://www.cbo.gov/publication/57224. 

7.  Herndon, Astead, host. “A City’s Step Toward Reparations.” The Daily, The New York Times, 12 July 2021, www.nytimes.com/2021/07/12/podcasts/the-daily/evanston-racial-reparations.html.

8.  Lowrey, Annie. “A Cheap, Race-Neutral Way to Close the Racial Wealth Gap,” The Atlantic, 29 June 2020, https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/06/close-racial-wealth-gap-baby-bonds/613525/.

9.  “Fiscal Year 2021 Budget Summary,” U.S Department of Education, pp.12, https://www2.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/budget21/summary/21summary.pdf

10. “Congress Apologizes for Slavery, Jim Crow” NPR, 30 July, 2008, https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93059465

11. Tankersley, Jim. “Biden Signs Infrastructure Bill, Promoting Benefits for Americans.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 15 Nov. 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/15/us/politics/biden-signs-infrastructure-bill.html.

12. Freking, Kevin. “House Panel Votes to Advance Bill on Slavery Reparations,” AP News, 14 April 2021, https://apnews.com/article/race-and-ethnicity-discrimination-legislation-slavery-john-conyers-4929d09132b8a72e655d8a42cc068a9d.