In the News

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee made the case for reparations for the descendants of slaves in part because of President Trump's behavior.

Under the Texas Democrat's proposal, a commission would be created to determine who would receive the payments and how much.

"Tragically, 250 years of slavery in the United States for those enslaved Africans did not receive workman’s comp, salary, 401(k), or anything, and literally built the wealth of the United States and Europe," Jackson told MSNBC on Tuesday.

"I think America is ready for this because of what we have been going through in the last couple of weeks, because of the attitude of our commander-in-chief, and because of what we have seen," she continued. "The dastardly impacts of white nationalism, white supremacy, and outright racism that has impacted others, but certainly has impacted, over the decades and centuries, African Americans, the descendants of enslaved Africans."

"We’re not a broke country. We’re, in fact, a prosperous country if our funds would be directed not to, if I might say, the top 1%, but really to people who are in need. But I do believe the country has a capacity and now is the time in this horrible atmosphere that we’re in to really move toward reconciliation and understanding," she said.

Pointing to her recent trip with the Congressional Black Caucus to Ghana and meeting with its president, Lee said now is the time to push for reparations.

Many of the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates have either supported the study of reparations or offered a full endorsement.