‘Chill, Chill, Chill, Chill!’: Congressional Hearing Explodes as Witness Trashes Slavery Reparations Bill

RUSH TRANSCRIPT HUGHES It ░░░░░░░░ an honor to testify ░░░░░░░░ a topic Nothing I ░░░░░░░░ about to say is ░░░░░░░░ to minimize the horror ░░░░░░░░ brutality of slavery and ░░░░░░░░ crow Racism is a ░░░░░░░░ stain on this country ░░░░░░░░ history and I consider ░░░░░░░░ failure to pay reparations ░░░░░░░░ to freed slaves after ░░░░░░░░ civil war to be ░░░░░░░░ of the greatest injustices ░░░░░░░░ perpetuated by the U ░░░░░░░░ Government Our worry our ░░░░░░░░ to fix the past ░░░░░░░░ our ability to fix ░░░░░░░░ present Think about what ░░░░░░░░ re doing today We ░░░░░░░░ spending our time debating ░░░░░░░░ bill that mentions slavery ░░░░░░░░ incarceration only once A ░░░░░░░░ that doesn t homicide ░░░░░░░░ when the Centers for ░░░░░░░░ Control says homicide is ░░░░░░░░ number one cause of ░░░░░░░░ for young black men ░░░░░░░░ m not saying acknowledging ░░░░░░░░ doesn t matter It ░░░░░░░░ There s a difference ░░░░░░░░ acknowledging history and allowing ░░░░░░░░ to distract us from ░░░░░░░░ problems we face today ░░░░░░░░ 2008 the house of ░░░░░░░░ formally apologized for slavery ░░░░░░░░ Jim crow In 2009 ░░░░░░░░ Senate did the same ░░░░░░░░ people don t need ░░░░░░░░ apology We need safer ░░░░░░░░ and better schools We ░░░░░░░░ a less punitive criminal ░░░░░░░░ system We need affordable ░░░░░░░░ care None of these ░░░░░░░░ can be achieved through ░░░░░░░░ for slavery Nearly everyone ░░░░░░░░ to me nearly everyone ░░░░░░░░ to me told me ░░░░░░░░ to testify today They ░░░░░░░░ me that even though ░░░░░░░░ only ever voted for ░░░░░░░░ I would be perceived ░░░░░░░░ a Republican and therefore ░░░░░░░░ by half the country ░░░░░░░░ told me that by ░░░░░░░░ myself from Republicans I ░░░░░░░░ end up anering the ░░░░░░░░ half of the country ░░░░░░░░ the sad truth is ░░░░░░░░ they were both right ░░░░░░░░ s how suspicious we ░░░░░░░░ become of one another ░░░░░░░░ s how divided we ░░░░░░░░ as a nation If ░░░░░░░░ were to pay reparations ░░░░░░░░ we would only divide ░░░░░░░░ country further Making it ░░░░░░░░ to build the political ░░░░░░░░ required facing black people ░░░░░░░░ would insult black Americans ░░░░░░░░ putting a price on ░░░░░░░░ suffering of their ancestors ░░░░░░░░ turn the relationship between ░░░░░░░░ Americans and white Americans ░░░░░░░░ a coalition into a ░░░░░░░░ from a union between ░░░░░░░░ into a lawsuit between ░░░░░░░░ and defendants What we ░░░░░░░░ do is pay reparations ░░░░░░░░ black Americans who actually ░░░░░░░░ up under Jim crow ░░░░░░░░ were directly harmed by ░░░░░░░░ class citizenship people like ░░░░░░░░ grandparents But paying reparations ░░░░░░░░ all descendants of slaves ░░░░░░░░ a mistake Take me ░░░░░░░░ example I was born ░░░░░░░░ decades after the end ░░░░░░░░ Jim crow into a ░░░░░░░░ household in the suburbs ░░░░░░░░ attend an Ivy League ░░░░░░░░ Yet I m descended ░░░░░░░░ slaves who worked on ░░░░░░░░ Jefferson Monticello plantation Reparations ░░░░░░░░ slavery would allocate federal ░░░░░░░░ to me but not ░░░░░░░░ an American with the ░░░░░░░░ ancestry even if that ░░░░░░░░ is living paycheck to ░░░░░░░░ and working multiple Jobs ░░░░░░░░ support a family You ░░░░░░░░ call that justice I ░░░░░░░░ it justice for the ░░░░░░░░ at the price of ░░░░░░░░ for the living I ░░░░░░░░ that reparations are about ░░░░░░░░ people are owed regardless ░░░░░░░░ how well they are ░░░░░░░░ I one that But ░░░░░░░░ who are owed for ░░░░░░░░ are no longer here ░░░░░░░░ we re not entitled ░░░░░░░░ collect on their debts ░░░░░░░░ by definition are only ░░░░░░░░ to victims So the ░░░░░░░░ you give me reparations ░░░░░░░░ ve made me into ░░░░░░░░ victim without my consent ░░░░░░░░ just that you ve ░░░░░░░░ one third of black ░░░░░░░░ who poll against reparations ░░░░░░░░ victims without their consent ░░░░░░░░ black Americans have fought ░░░░░░░░ long for the right ░░░░░░░░ define themselves to be ░░░░░░░░ for in such a ░░░░░░░░ manner The question is ░░░░░░░░ what America owes me ░░░░░░░░ virtue of my ancestry ░░░░░░░░ question is what all ░░░░░░░░ owe each other by ░░░░░░░░ of being citizens of ░░░░░░░░ same nation Hughes said ░░░░░░░░ the obligation of citizenship ░░░░░░░░ not transactional It s ░░░░░░░░ contingent on ancestry It ░░░░░░░░ expires and it can ░░░░░░░░ be paid off For ░░░░░░░░ these reasons bill HR ░░░░░░░░ is a moral and ░░░░░░░░ mistake Thank you COHEN ░░░░░░░░ you Mr Hughes Chill ░░░░░░░░ chill chill He was ░░░░░░░░ but he still has ░░░░░░░░ right to speak Mr ░░░░░░░░ is recognized.”