The injury of enslavement and Jim Crow was not a single, isolated event, but a multi-generational assault that damaged African Americans in five key areas: peoplehood, education, health, criminal justice, and wealth. Consequently, reparations cannot be reduced to a simple cash transfer. Instead, a meaningful reparations program must involve structural resources designed to repair these specific institutional damages and rebuild independent community capacity.
—Adapted from the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America (NCOBRA) policy platform
According to the passage, which of the following approaches is necessary for a reparations program to be effective?
- AIt must prioritize government-funded emigration and resettlement to West Africa to restore sovereign peoplehood.
- It must rebuild social institutions and community capacity to address multi-generational systemic harm rather than relying solely on individual financial compensation.Answer
- CIt must focus primarily on punitive economic actions against white-owned businesses to achieve immediate wealth parity.
- DIt must be coordinated through elite-led international congresses that bypass domestic legislative systems.
Answer
It must rebuild social institutions and community capacity to address multi-generational systemic harm rather than relying solely on individual financial compensation.
The correct option is correct because it accurately captures the passage's argument that reparations cannot be reduced to simple cash transfers and must instead focus on structural resources to repair systemic damage in institutions like education, health, and wealth.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
The modern reparations movement, specifically the platform of the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America (NCOBRA), emphasizes that reparations must address multi-faceted, structural institutional damages rather than being limited to individual cash payments.