Reparations are a completion of American democracy rather than a departure from it

Evidence

Ultimately, the case for compensating black Americans for the harms they experienced after chattel slavery ended is also a case for American democracy. America has unfinished business regarding its black citizens. In order for all Americans to reach their full potential, the United States must add black Americans to the list of those compensated for extraordinary losses experienced at the hands of the government—and of individual white Americans. — Dorothy A. Brown, Getting to Reparations, 52

Categorization

• DEFINE: This frames reparations as accounting owed for government-and-private harm — not charity — which is the framing the whole argument depends on.