African American
In reply to the discussion: Ta-Nehisi Coates, Bernie Sanders, and Reparations [View all]nyabingi
(1,145 posts)of reparations is going to have to originate from within the community it will be going to. There have been efforts and brainstorming sessions a-plenty, but nothing has really gotten to the level of actual consideration. I honestly wouldn't someone who is not Black to be the champion of the drive for reparations, and I think it's high time for the Black community in America to start considering options and expressing a vision of what reparations would entail.
The last sentence of your first paragraph ("the fact that Bernie is 'No We Can't' on reparations..." is a point I can agree with and have no qualms with. It first takes someone to place it in the national conscience, and I think Bernie was saying that he definitely is not the one to do it (and like I said, I really wouldn't want him to). Now whether Bernie can get any of his ambitious ideas passed or not, we can at least feel a bit more confident that he won't do a complete reversal once in office under the guise of reaching a "compromise" with Republicans or simply sign-off on some of their bad legislation (like the ACA). Plus, there are actual examples of universal healthcare in the world to point the people to as an example of what is achievable given the desire and political will.
If not for gerrymandering, there would hardly be much a Republican presence in Congress, so I can't understand why the Democrats haven't taken more of an activist approach on a statewide level to fight against it. There are always lawsuits here and there to change heavily-gerrymandered states, but there needs to be a national push as well. Attacking and dismantling some of these unfair and biased electoral rigging schemes would eventually make things like universal healthcare a lot more feasible than they are now.