Congress' first hearing in a decade on the topic comes amid a growing discussion in the Democratic Party on reparations and sets up a potential standoff with Republicans, with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell recently expression opposition to the idea.
The debate over reparations for descendants of slaves catapulted from the campaign trail to Congress on Wednesday with an impassioned plea from actor Danny Glover and others for lawmakers to address compensation for America's blighted heritage of racism and Jim Crow laws.
Writer Ta-Nehisi Coates, who drew new attention to the issue with his 2014 essay, "The Case for Reparations," told the panel "it's impossible to imagine America without the inheritance of slavery." The legislation, which would set up a bipartisan commission to study the issue, spotlights a national conversation over the legacy of slavery. Several of the party's presidential candidates have endorsed looking at the idea, though they have stopped short of endorsing direct payouts for African Americans.
"We've tried to deal with the original sin of slavery by passing civil rights legislation," McConnell said, and electing an African American president, Barack Obama. Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana, the top Republican on the panel, said he respects the beliefs of those who support reparations. He called America's history with slavery "regrettable and shameful."
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