A French perspective on the debate on slavery

I would like to come back first on the distinction made by Lindsey when she wrote that "its incorrect to blame slavery entirely for modern-day issues like poverty and unemployment." I totally agree with this point. I think that the debate has led us to address two different aspects of the situation at the same time. Black people have been subjected to slavery and segregation on one hand, and the African American community is confronted to poverty on the other hand. And these two issues may be analyzed and addressed separately.

Indeed, I personally think that the issue of poverty must be tackled in itself. As a French Socialist, I am shocked by the living and working conditions of the underprivileged people in the United States. And I don't think deciding to help in particular African American communities is the right solution in the long run. I believe that it could be fair to start social programs under such criteria, but only if they are followed by more general programs considering all the people concerned. I agree with all the preceding speakers who defended the promotion of education in these communities. But, I still consider it would be better to create a system of education which would create less inequality in general. We started an interesting debate in class about equal opportunities. I do believe that it would be better if African American were given more opportunities to succeed and to get access to higher education. But, they are not the only people who cannot afford college tuition and fees. This is why I am in favor of a complete review of the education system. Of course, I base my opinion on my own experience. In France, higher education is almost free. Even if this system is based on higher taxes and that some business schools are not free, overall, it is fair and this system works for a reduction of inequalities.

On the other hand, the question of reparations may be addressed appropriately without resorting to social programs. I agree with what has been said by some of my classmates about apologies. I think that the government of the United States should apology for slavery and segregation. I think it may be only good, as I hope the majority of Americans do not support slavery anymore. But, as I said in class, and to reply to what wrote Anthony on the blog, I think it must be more to show that the US is ready to take its responsibility and to recognize the errors of the past. It is a way to ensure that this will never happen again (in a way or another, I am especially thinking of the US companies like Nike which have exploited cheap labor in developing countries). Yet, it is not meant to make people feel guilty for what happened. It is just to turn slavery into a lesson from history. And to make sure that segregation is not supported anymore. I think it may be relevant to refer to France once again. In 1995, Jacques Chirac, President of France at that time has apologized for the treatment of Jews and the collaboration with Nazis during World War II. Indeed, if all French people did not participate in the elimination of Jews from the French society, some did, and most important, the government allowed this at the time. In the same way, I think that the US government should apology for slavery.

Moreover, as it has been said, it is a good idea to promote the memory of slavery and segregation. We could introduce a chapter on this part of US history in history books in elementary or middle school. It may be also a good idea to promote the visit of museums of African American history. Or, we can think of broadcasting documentaries about slavery and segregation more often. Once again, it is what the French government did to ensure people will not forget what happened to the Jewish community during World War Two.

Concerning the long-term impact of slavery and segregation, I believe the social disadvantages from which the African American community suffers currently is obvious. The crack/cocaine survey is evidence among others. For instance, I remember I read an article about death penalty in the United States. According to this article, Black murderers are relatively more likely to be condemned to death penalty than White ones. This means that not only there is concretely a majority of Black people in the death row, but that before the judge, there is a higher probability for the Black defendant to be condemned. This shows that racism and discrimination against Black people is a pervasive reality.

I hope my perspective as a French speaker has enriched the debate. But, I know that my limited knowledge of the United States and of the African American community may have prevented me from giving a good analysis. This is the reason why I encourage the other speakers to comment my post.