Episode 6 – Will Blacks Finally Get Reparations During Biden’s Presidency and, If so, How Will it Matter?

For Episode 6, A Pod Called Quest takes on black reparations. The murder of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and so many other black people that spurred a national and international reckoning with systemic racism and racialized violence has many people wondering whether the time for black reparations has finally arrived. In his victory speech, president-elect Biden noted that the African American community always had his back and he said that he would have their back as president. What does having our back mean? Does this mean reparations will be on the agenda during his presidency? Should all people that can prove their blackness and descent from slaves get a lump sum cash payment? Do calls for black reparations help or hinder the pursuit of progressive efforts to address the plight of poor and working-class people. Can black reparations abolish concentrated wealth? Can it put an end to intergenerational wealth transfers that keep the rich?