Educational Media Reviews Online

The documentary Slave Reparations is an examination of the arguments, pro and con, for the payments of compensation for the injustice suffered by Africans and African- Americans under slavery. Each argument that has been raised against reparations is answered by a variety of voices including physicians, ministers, academics, and public servants. Supporters argue that the legacy of slavery and Jim Crow laws still have a negative impact on African-Americans. Alvin E. Pouissant, Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard, believes that the legacy of the past has had a damaging effect on the black psyche. One of the greatest psychological problems in the black community is feelings of inferiority; blacks have internalized racism and acted “against ourselves.” Supporters of reparations believe that it is a national debt owed because the nation benefited by free labor. It is not cancelled out by either welfare programs, which are entitlements, or affirmative action, which is designed to correct past injustices. Charles Barron, New York City Councilman believes that if America does it right, reparations “will heal the soul of America.” This film provides an introduction to the important issue of slavery reparations; objections to reparations are answered in considerable detail and with eloquence. What the film fails to note is the absence of unanimity within the African-American community on this controversial issue. In addition, the film lacks any discussion of either the costs or the mechanism by which such reparations could be paid. Educators using this film would want to supplement their lesson with additional materials presenting these aspects of this complex issue.