Why It's Time to Talk About Reparations

As discussions about racism in America gain traction, so too does the question of reparations. Broadly defined as some form of repayment for the harms inflicted on enslaved peoples and their descendants, reparations have earned increased visibility thanks to advocacy by the National African-American Reparations Commission and other groups. The issue has become a 2020 presidential campaign issue and the House of Representatives will hold a hearing next week on H.R. 40, a bill to set up a commission to study the matter. Why is this happening now? How would reparations work in practice? And what are the prospects for genuine change? Jeffery Robinson, deputy legal director at the ACLU, joins At Liberty to discuss these questions and more.