As support for reparations grow, so does pushback from some black Americans

The idea of reparations has been gaining some traction over the last few months. Many candidates for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination have come out in favor of some form of compensation for the descendants of slaves, though what that looks like varies widely.

Now though, there’s been some pushback to the idea — including from black Americans.

Former housing and urban development secretary Julián Castro spoke out in favor of reparations on MSNBC’s “Hardball,” in February. “It is interesting to me that under our Constitution and otherwise, that we compensate people if we take their property,” he said. “Shouldn’t we compensate people if they were property sanctioned by the state?”

At the National Action Network convention earlier this month, several candidates expressed their support for a measure creating a commission to study the issue. “When I am elected president, I will sign that bill,” Sen. Kamala D. Harris (D.-Calif.), the only black woman running for president, told convention host Al Sharpton.