Reparations for African-Americans

In his column (“A Matter of Unfinished Business,” Commentary, Oct. 28), Ron Daniels argues that the U.S. government owes reparations to African-Americans. He believes that the granting of reparations to Japanese-Americans arising out of unjust internment during World War II gives new hope that reparations will be made to African-Americans as compensation for slavery. But no real comparison can be made since reparations to Japanese-Americans are being made to actual individuals who suffered the internment. There is not a living survivor of slavery.

He makes several untenable statements in support of reparations. He calls it the greatest holocaust in human history and cites an estimated 100 million Africans lost in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. But he ignores that fact that this occurred before the U.S. government was even formed. Is Daniels suggesting that the U.S. government should be responsible for all slavery in the history of the American continent? The slave trade was carried on by many nations of Europe and was an institution in much of the American continents.

And how would the compensation be funded? Would a special tax be imposed on only white people? Or would the funds come from blacks as well?

In opposition to such nonsense, I want to state that I am a white male born in 1950. I have never owned a slave nor have I ever held any prejudices against anyone of any race. I do not owe Mr. Daniels or any other black American anything.

J. DAVID PITTMAN, Fullerton