Meet Obama’s Reparations Model
While some question the impact of preaching from the pulpit of Trinity United Church of Christ on Senator Obama’s thinking, the influence of one of Trinity’s most recommend authors on Obama is clear.
Three of Randall Robinson’s books are available for purchase on Trinity’s website. One, entitled “The Debt: What America Owes To Blacks,” is particularly important to understanding Obama’s notion of reparations.
So who is Randall Robinson?
He’s a Harvard-educated lawyer, author, and civil-rights activist born in 1941. Robinson is described by Wikipedia this way:
“Robinson founded the TransAfricia Forum in 1977, which-according to its mission statement, serves as a ‘major research, educational and organizing institution for the African-American community, offering constructive analysis concerning U.S. policy as it affects Africa and the African Diaspora (African-Americans and West Indians who can trace their heritage back to the dispersion of Africans that occurred as a result of the Transatlantic slave trade) in the Caribbean and Latin America.’”
Today, the TransAfricia Forum website lists Danny Glover as Board Chair, and Harry Belafonte among its dozen board members.
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It’s also possible to see the influence of Robinson’s thinking on Obama’s sponsorship of the Global Poverty Act of 2007 (S.2433) that, if passed, would mean the $845 billion over 13 years in addition to existing U.S. foreign aid expenditures.
“Lastly, I would urge the United States government to begin making amends to Africa and the Caribbean by initiating discussions that might constructively start with an American commitment toward debt relief, fair trade terms, and significant monetary compensation.” (“The Debt,” p. 246)
Eight-hundred and forty-five billion dollars is “significant” international reparations, for sure.