The Debt : What America Owes to Blacks (Hardcover)

by Randall Robinson (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Randall Robinson, the founder and president of TransAfrica (a lobbying organization dedicated to influencing U.S. policy toward Africa and the Caribbean), recounted his heroic struggle to fight and overcome racism in the magnificent Defending the Spirit. In his triumphant follow-up, The Debt, he goes further than any previous black public figure in calling for reparations to African-Americans for the present-day racism that stems from 246 years of slavery. Citing compensation that Jews and Japanese Americans have received, he writes, "No race, ethnic or religious group has suffered as much over so long a span as blacks have and do still, at the hands of those who benefited ... from slavery and the century of legalized American racial hostility that followed it." In making his case, Robinson utilizes facts and figures that highlight the disparity between African-Americans and whites. While fully recognizing the monumental odds of this movement's success, Robinson feels that the push for reparations will also greatly benefit African-Americans in nonmaterial ways: "Even the making of a well-reasoned case for restitution will do wonders for the spirit of African-Americans," he argues. "It will cause them to at long last understand the genesis of their history--before, during, and after slavery--into one story of themselves." --Eugene Holley Jr.

From Publishers Weekly
As founder and president of TransAfrica, an organization aimed at influencing U.S. policies toward Africa and the Caribbean, Robinson can be said to have contributed to the antiapartheid movement and the restoration of democracy in Haiti. Having vividly outlined the pervasiveness of American racism in his previous work, Defending the Spirit, he now summons America to acknowledge what he casts as its financial obligation to blacks for centuries of slavery and continued subjugation. Substantiating his analysis of America's ignorance of African history and the agenda of the Clinton administration with personal stories that illustrate the impact of de facto discrimination, he reveals slavery's legacy not only in our social and political lives, but also in the American psyche. In Robinson's view, the incessant deification of the founding fathers (many of whom owned slaves) and the denial of the benefits gained from centuries of slave labor are, in effect, an attempt to pretend "that America's racial holocaust never occurred." Juxtaposing domestic racism with the sufferings of people abroad, he contends that America's dubious foreign policy initiatives in Cuba and throughout the black world should be mitigated through debt relief. Methodically tackling one issue at a time, Robinson suggests the creation of a trust to assist in the educational and economic empowerment of African-Americans. Whether readers agree or disagree with his views, Robinson has made a definitive step in presenting these controversial and still unresolved issues. Book club rights sold to Doubleday/Black Expressions; author tour. (Jan.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Adult; 3rd edition (January 3, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525945245
• ISBN-13: 978-0525945246
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (100 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #547,508 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Mr. Berkowitz, I respect your opinion, but..., May 15, 2001

By	John (Norfolk, VA United States) - See all my reviews

how on earth can you call me racist for simply stating my opinion about 'The Debt'. Because I disagree with the man, that means I am racist? Is a white man not allowed to disagree with a black man? Is a white man not free to criticize a black man? I thought we lived in a country where freedom of expression was paramount, and that honest criticism was a healthy part of democracy. Or does that only work one way...i.e. when a conservative white man (personally, I consider myself a Libertarian -- I despise Jesse Helms and Al Sharpton equally...I suppose my heroes are Churchill, Truman, and Senator McCain) is being criticized, that is perfectly fine; however, when the tables are turned, the cries of racism abound. I would like to recommend a book for you - "The Lost Art of Drawing the Line" - by Philip K. Howard. I think that it would shed some light for you on the corrosive effects of reverse racism.

As to your quote that my argument about not owning slaves and thus shouldn't pay is equivalent to senior citizens' arguments about not paying for schools... an educated populace benefits all -- and common benefits should be paid by all...similar to highways, national defense, and the justice system. (Which, I will grant you, aren't perfect.) However, the payment of these 'reparations' would benefit only a select few at the expense of all...and an arbitrary few at best, seeing as how (as I mentioned) many had opportunities the same or even better than myself. And, if you're so inclined, perhaps you could answer these questions for me?

1. Why, again, am I responsible for events that happened 100+ years before my birth?

2. Why, if America is so horrible, are we beseiged by persons from all over the globe to come here? Why are there so many Mexican nationals willing to risk it all to come here? Why are so many Chinese nationals willing to endure unimaginable suffering to be smuggled here? Where is your outrage directed against the Communist Chinese regime? Do you remember Tiananmen Square, June 1989?

3. Why are so many Americans of Asian ancestry doing so well over here in America, despite being here only 1 or 2 generations and coming here literally not knowing the language? Do you see those folks asking what America owes them? Could it possibly be that some black Americans are failing simply due to their own shortcomings (as many white Americans are)?

4. And speaking of Communism...I read your review of 'The Black Book of Communism.' And I ask you...how can you justify the pure evil that was Stalin and Lenin? How can you justify the horrors of Chairman Mao? How can you justify the forced labor camps of Siberia? How can you explain the 're-education' program of Chairman Mao? How can you not be outraged by the events of Tiananmen Square, the continued repression of the Falun Gong, the continued persecution and unlawful detention of Americans of Chinese ancestry by the Chinese government? How can you not be horrified at Fidel Castro's routine dismissal of human rights? How can you not be disgusted at the way Saddam Heussein uses nerve gas on HIS OWN PEOPLE? Did the collapse of the Soviet Union and the abject failure of its government not make any impression on you as it rotted from within? The United States of America certainly has her flaws, and we are certainly living in a materialistic society with far too little concern for the downtrodden, but I submit to you that we are fortunate indeed to have the opportunity to live here.

P.S. Your email listed doesn't work...

36 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Irresponsible!, March 12, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Debt: What America Owes to Blacks (Paperback)

Irresponsible is how to classify this book. Perhaps the author has forgotten that after the Civil War, President Lincoln said the 350,000 lives lost in the War were in payment for our country's past sins of slavery. There certainly isn't enough money in the world to pay reparations for every act of discrimination or prejudice suffered, but complaining and demanding money is not the answer, to do so is a disservice to African Americans. A better approach is to encourage the model for success that has been most effective for immigrants and citizens past and present: education, hard work, self-reliance, and responsibility. There are many good books to read -- this isn't one of them.

35 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Paternalism revisited, February 9, 2002

By	Roberto Munguambe (Maputo, Moçambique) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Debt: What America Owes to Blacks (Paperback)

This is the sort of book only an american could write. Robinson's politically correct ideas do nothing to help the progress of balck or african people: to pretend that America or the world owe us a sort of social reparation for our history is nothing but an elaborate form of paternalism. In fact, our progress should flow only from our merit and work at present days, not from a debt inherited from the past. I believe we can rise to the job and stop blaming others for our problems.