The Ludicrous Call for White Reparations: A Reflection by Nkechi Taifa
Donald Trump’s recent suggestion that white Americans should receive reparations as “victims” of racial discrimination is beyond absurd — it’s an outright distortion of justice. His position completely disregards the centuries of brutal oppression endured by Black people in the United States, compounded by the racial inequities that persist today. Let’s be clear: Trump’s suggestion is not only insulting but also emblematic of the deliberate ignorance toward the historical suffering and systemic challenges Black people face as a result of the enslavement era and its living legacies of economic, educational and health disparities, the criminal punishment system and racial violence, as well as cultural onslaught and denial of the right to self-determination.
For generations, Black folk have fought for reparations to address the traumas and devastations of these genocidal abuses. Yet Trump and his buddies have consistently ignored these demands. Now, to see him advocate for white people reparations is a hypocritical farce that further illuminates the lack of genuine interest in real racial justice.
Interesting, it’s worth noting that reparations have indeed been granted to white people in this country before. Under the 1862 DC Compensated Emancipation Act, reparations were paid out, but not to the newly freed Black people who had been enslaved. Instead, those reparations went to former white slaveholders as compensation for the “loss” of their so-called property. This perverse reality is a stark reminder of how deeply American institutions have failed to recognize Black humanity and honor Black trauma and suffering.
Indeed, the history of reparations in the Western world reveals a disturbing trend: payments often went to the white enslavers, not the formerly Black enslaved. Rather than France compensating Haitians for centuries of brutal enslavement, Haiti was forced to pay reparations to France in exchange for recognition of their independence. This financial burden crippled Haiti’s economy, with payments continuing until 1947. Similarly, when Britain abolished slavery, it wasn’t the formerly enslaved Black folk who received reparations, but the white slaveholders. British taxpayers — including Blacks — continued to pay off this debt until 2015. These historical realities expose a perverse pattern in which white enslavers were financially rewarded for their role in a system that inflicted immeasurable harm on Black people around the world.
Moreover, Trump’s calls for white reparations are coupled with policy stances that mirror apartheid and fascism. His administration and continued influence have emboldened efforts to censor discussions on racism, roll back voting rights, and undermine diversity initiatives. These are textbook moves toward authoritarianism, and they bring the country closer to a dangerous state of oppression, one that meets both international and U.S. definitions of genocide: killing members of the group, causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about their destruction in whole or in part.
In a time when we need honest reckoning and genuine reparative justice, Trump’s hollow call for “reparations” for whites serves only to erode any forward movement for Black people. It’s not just a betrayal of historical truth but an open insult to all of us who still suffer with the legacies of slavery and racial violence. Our work for reparatory justice, however, must push firmly forward, and it must remain grounded in the truths of our collective history, not in the distortions of those who would rewrite it.
Nkechi Taifa is an attorney, activist and the author of five books, including Reparations on Fire: How and Why it’s Spreading Across America.
