Jun 13, 2019 - Politics & Policy

House set to host first slavery reparations hearing since 2007

Ursula Perano

Actor Danny Glover is set to take part in next week's hearing. Photo: Roger Kisby/Getty Images

A House Judiciary subcommittee will hold a hearing next Wednesday on reparations for individuals affected by slavery's legacy, the first time the issue will be given a House hearing since 2007, per the AP.

Our thought bubble, via Axios' Alexi McCammond: Washington can no longer ignore this issue. Between this hearing and several 2020 Democrats proposing ideas for how to fix the lasting legacy of slavery, we're in for one of the most robust debates we've ever had about reparations over the coming weeks and months.

The hearing will also feature celebrity support, with testimony scheduled from actor Danny Glover and writer Ta-Nehisi Coates.

The big picture: Reparations have been an issue for some 2020 Democrats, led by former HUD Secretary Julián Castro. However, not all are embracing the issue in the traditional sense — direct compensation.

The financial mechanism is meant to offset economic and social disparities caused by slavery and other forms of racial oppression to black communities.

Go deeper: Georgetown students voted to pay reparations for descendants of slaves

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House set to host first slavery reparations hearing since 2007

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