Coates: Mr. Williamson, while I appreciate your comprehensive response to my article, I believe you may be missing my broader point. You mentioned that the political interests of African Americans are best served by equality under the law, and I’m not disputing that, but equality under the law isn’t entirely related to my case for reparations. What I’m saying is that in order to make up for the past few hundred years of systemic racism and segregation, African Americans should receive amends to help them get back on the right foot, and then equal laws for everyone will further help them achieve the decent status they so rightly deserve.

Williamson: Well, I totally agree that we should be helping African Americans get back on the right foot, but the people to whom reparations were owed are long dead. Having equality under the law will allow these newer generations to be treated fairly and have an equal shot at a good life.

Coates: But they are not long dead; they are very much alive today. This country was founded on the basis of white privilege and supremacy, and people are still suffering at the hands of this system. When one specific group of people is chained and oppressed by a system for hundreds of years, you can’t compare them with other groups. Sure, other communities weren’t treated all too great in America either, but they did not go through what we endured. Everything was set up so that we couldn’t be on the same level as whites, and we need reparations to make up for that. Just like in the recent financial crisis this past decade — the recession devastated communities of color because they were much more likely to be on the receiving end of subprime mortgages.

Williamson: I truly do feel for them, and what they went through was horrid and beyond inhumane. But to only advance the interests of one particular race would be counterproductive, no? If we want a world in which the color of one’s skin does not matter, should we really advance policies that elevate one racial group in particular?

Coates: That one racial group in particular has suffered immensely at the hands of another particular racial group, so yes, absolutely. In order to have a decent shot at a good life, people should start from an even playing field. Reparations would allow for this leveling of grounds. Like I mentioned in my article, the Germans accepted their past wrongs and provided the Jewish with amends. Unless we as Americans are willing to acknowledge our past, reflect on our wrongdoings, and take action for a more equitable society, we will not go anywhere. Drinking beer, eating hot dogs, and saying “God Bless America” every 4th of July will not help this country if we are not willing to look back and correct our mistakes. Patriotism isn’t about forcing everyone to respect this country, it is about creating a society in which everyone will naturally want to.

Williamson: I totally agree with the latter part of your argument; it is very beautifully stated and you bring up great points, but I am still iffy about granting one race preferential treatment. Of course, I could be stuck in a bubble of my own misguided thoughts, so I ought to think about this some more. It was great having a discussion with you today.

Coates: Likewise, and I hope we both learned a lot more about each other’s reasoning behind our arguments.