Group Connection Exercise William Rupp

1.) The events that transpired during the times of slavery and Japanese internment really
pulled apart the black and Japanese family. For most families, the structure is set up where the
male works to provide for his family, while the female stays at home as a housekeeper. This
system, however, was torn apart for these two groups during the 19th and 20th centuries.
For blacks, the effects on their family structure stem from the beginning of slavery. As
slaves, the very prospect that they couldn’t own property meant they never acquired assets to
pass on to future generations (Williams, 2000). Discrimination resulting from slavery also
affected family structure. The color of their skin is often the reason black people aren’t hired for
jobs that are given to equally or less qualified white individuals. As a result, black men are
forced into lesser paying jobs, and their wives are forced to get a job to help support the family
(Williams, 2000).
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, internment camps were established for all Japanese-
Americans. This forced Japanese families into small “apartments” (Espiritu, p. 44-45). The
families were stripped of their rights, but were provided with food, shelter, and other amenities.
No rights meant men were stripped of their role as provider for the family. And since provisions
were provided, women had more time available for jobs and other activities (Espiritu, p. 45).
I don’t believe monetary payment can help the family structures at this point. These are
problems that needed to be addressed when they sprang to life. But now they’re engrained in
these people’s cultures. The only way to begin correcting these issues is by improving their
access to a good education. This means putting money into the education system, not just giving
it to those directly affected.

2.) The idea of reparations is to make amends for a wrongdoing. Most often, a reparation is a
monetary payment given to a group of people who were mistreated. In the case of the Japanese
internment camp survivors, it was a $20,000 payment from the government (Lecture, Feb. 22).
Many people arguing for slavery reparations agree that a monetary sum should be given to
descendents of those negatively affected. However, I think direct payments are less effective
than other possible reparations.
In the case of slavery, things like improving education and providing loans to those in
need could help change things for the better. After slavery was abolished, blacks were left in
terrible predicaments. They had no property and nothing of value. This meant their descendents
inherited very little, and is the reason many black people live in poverty today. Giving them
money seems like the obvious answer, but it won’t change the fact that they’re forced to live in
cheap homes in bad neighborhoods. I do think putting money into education systems of these
affected neighborhoods is the best way to start. By providing children with better education, they
have a better chance of going to college and getting a good job.
On a similar note, providing loans to black families affected by slavery could set them on
a better track. Many black families live in poor urban communities because they can’t afford
anything better. By giving loans to the people that normally wouldn’t qualify for them otherwise,
they would be able to afford homes in better neighborhoods with better school systems. Also,
families of children that go to college should be offered loans, despite their income. This would
encourage more kids to work hard, knowing they have a way of paying for college.
Chelsea (March 3) made a good point when she questioned why monetary reparations
should be paid for slavery, when everyone directly involved is dead. I agree, but something
needs to be done because slavery without question has affected the lives of black family for
centuries. An apology would be a good start. Like Williams said, there has yet to be an official
Group Connection Exercise William Rupp

apology for slavery (Williams, 2000). A government apology and acknowledgment of the
wrongdoing of the U.S. for allowing slavery would show remorse (some, at least). It would be a
“mental” reparation, but wouldn’t take the place of the physical reparations that need to be made.

3.) Although reparations will help all those affected by slavery, it’s not going to
significantly help with the problem of social, economic, and political exclusion of blacks.
Whether in the form of money or other social payment, reparations simply pay back those who
suffered, and try to make life easier for them. However, the underlying issue with all this
exclusion is discrimination and racism. And these things won’t go away just because the
government pays back descendants of slavery.
Ever since the dawn of slavery, discrimination has put black people in the position they
are in today. During slavery, they were treated as property. They had no rights, and they even
had a set of rules, the Slave/Black Codes, created for them (Lecture, Feb. 10). After slavery, they
had no land, few assets, and were forced to live in cheap homes. When looking for a job, blacks
have always been second to whites in getting hired, despite similar or better qualifications. And
when black people do get jobs, tactics such as glass ceilings and glass walls have been put in
place, preventing blacks from advancing to a higher position (Lecture, Feb 1).
Even before getting jobs, young black people are discriminated against when applying to
colleges. Most (if not all) colleges look at race when admitting students. This allows them to
create as diverse a campus as they want. This often means that the percentage of black students
accepted in primarily “white” universities is consistently lower than the percentage of whites.
This leads to many black students attending less prestigious primarily “black” schools. When our
group was discussing education for black people, Luke (March 3) talked about how his friend’s
dad (who’s black) applied to the University of Virginia, but was denied. He was denied despite
having higher test scores and a better GPA than some white people from his school that were
accepted. This led him to attend Virginia State University, a black school much less known than
UVA.
In the long run, reparations will have a positive effect. But whether they help close the
gap between whites and blacks depends mostly on the way black people are treated. You can
give people money, improve education, and give them anything you want, but that won’t stop
discrimination from employers, or anyone else for that matter. I do feel that reparations can bring
black people closer to the pedestal that whites have placed themselves on. By getting better
education and money (from reparations), there will be a stronger black labor market which
means they’d be able to afford homes in “white” neighborhoods.
Regarding monetary reparations, I think they were acceptable to give to Japanese
internment survivors because they were still living. Whereas it’s harder to simply give money for
slavery reparations when there are no living survivors of slavery. I think if the government
thought about reparations soon after slavery ended, it could have happened. But that didn’t
happen because of the discriminatory nature of the U.S. Even after slavery was abolished,
segregation was everywhere, blacks still didn’t have rights, and the North even discriminated
against blacks (Lecture, Feb. 15).
So this is the difference between the circumstances of Japanese internment and slavery.
After slavery, discrimination and racism in the U.S. was a huge problem, and would be for
another century. This was different from Japanese internment, where the U.S. had already passed
bills like the Immigration and Naturalization Act (Lecture, Feb. 24). America was much more
Group Connection Exercise William Rupp

advanced in race relations after Japanese internment, which is the main reason for only them
receiving monetary reparations.

4.) Despite the horrific nature of slavery, I don’t believe monetary reparations are the right
thing to do. It’s a very touchy subject when you’re trying to repay a group of people that aren’t
living anymore. And when there are no direct survivors, money isn’t the solution to the problems
descendents of slavery are going through. I do believe reparations in the form of better education
is what should be done. Poor education is a big reason (along with discrimination) that blacks
end up with lower-paying jobs. A way to put these reparations into place is to put money into
education systems which primarily consist of black students (in urban cities, poor
neighborhoods, etc.).
In our group discussion, most agreed that reparations should be given to descendents of
slavery. The extent of these reparations were the main points of contention. Drew (March 3) was
one of the few who questioned reparations. He stated that the best way to close the gap between
black and white is to educate people on the history of race relations. This would slowly get rid of
racism (though he agreed, this is easier said than done).
Chelsea’s point about there being no living survivors raised the question of what would
be the most effective form of reparation. About half of us agreed improving black education is a
good way to do this. Molly (March 3) had an issue with this, saying that by singling out blacks,
you’re discriminating against other lower-class individuals who aren’t able to get a good
education. The problem with this statement is that most black people were put in a bad economic
position because of slavery. And that’s the reason we’re talking about these reparations, because
something needs to be done.
People did a good job defending their position on reparations. Everyone (those who
talked) gave historical evidence to back up what they said. I found an argument to be most
convincing when the person had a real life example. Like Luke, who talked about his friend’s
dad getting denied acceptance to UVA, despite having the qualifications to get in. I didn’t like
the argument that discrimination is the main reason for the income gap between whites and
blacks, so reparations aren’t necessary. I agree discrimination is an explanation for this. But
where does discrimination come from? Much of it came from the slavery era in the U.S. This is
why reparations are necessary. Slavery put black people in a huge hole to begin with. And since
slavery has ended, discrimination, prejudice, and racism have kept them there. So whatever form
they may be, reparations need to happen.
Group Connection Exercise William Rupp

Reference List

Chelsea. (March 3, 2011). Group Exercise Discussion. Sociology 134. University of Wisconsin-
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Drew. (March 3, 2011). Group Exercise Discussion. Sociology 134. University of Wisconsin-
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Espiritu, Yen L. 1996. Asian American Women and Men. University of California, San Diego,
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Lecture. (Feb. 1, 2011). Racism, Prejudice, and Discrimination. Soc 134. University of
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Luke. (March 3, 2011). Group Exercise Discussion. Sociology 134. University of Wisconsin-
Madison.
Molly. (March 3, 2011). Group Exercise Discussion. Sociology 134. University of Wisconsin-
Madison.
The Case for Slavery Reparations. (2000). Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved March 7, 2011,
from https://uwmad.courses.wisconsin.edu/d2l/lms/content/viewer/main_frame.