Internet Exercises

America continues to struggle with the legacy of slavery, and the current debate over reparations is a vivid illustration of this. As Washington and Du Bois disagreed over the best path for African Americans at the turn of the century, so the issue of reparations has opened another debate over what African Americans today "deserve" and ignited significant differences of opinion about what African Americans should be "expected" to be responsible for.

You can begin by reading a short retrospective piece on Washington's and Du Bois's conflict about "the fate of blacks." You will then find websites for the reparations bill, as introduced in the House of Representatives; for a notorious advertisement arguing against reparations that has stirred controversy on many university campuses; and for an opinion piece arguing for reparations. There are many other sites you can visit to learn more about this issue; as you search, consider what it means that the debate over compensation for African Americans, and the larger issue of coming to terms with the treatment of blacks by white America, continues to be so polarizing. What kind of impact does this have on African American students, both directly and indirectly?

• The Great Debate: Du Bois and Washington Dispute the Fate of Blacks
• Commission to Study Reparation Proposals for African-Americans Act (type in hr 40 at #2)
• Ten Reasons Why Reparations for Blacks Is a Bad Idea for Blacks -- and Racist Too
• Reparations for Blacks Are an Idea Whose Time Is Now