The four places that Coates mentions the HR-40 Bill are: The 11th paragraph in the third section, the 13th paragraph in the third paragraph, the 8th paragraph in the fourth section, and 17th paragraph in the fifth section.
When Coates first mentions the ideas of reparations and the justices that the black people deserve he says that he doesn’t believe that it will be able to happen. Not because it will cost too much money but because America itself was built upon racist ideas and there are still many people in power who agree with these racist ideas. These ideas are what has carried America throughout its lifetime and some people believe that they people who were hurt by slavery are dead so why give this money to their families? They think that these people aren’t the ones that have had to deal with racism, which isn’t the case. And because we have these closed minded people running our country there is no way that reparations are going to be able to happen and that is what Coates talks about in this first section about HR-40.
In the second paragraph that Coates talks about HR-40 he talks about how reparation might have to do with our country’s existence. Our country was founded many years ago on racists beliefs and ideas and our way of governing the country has never change. America’s entire existence has been perceived through racists views, and still currently is. This is what Coates means when he talks about existence. But if we start to make a difference and a change in the way our society and government is run then there can be a chance that someday in the future these people and families will be able to get the reparations that they deserve. The change starts with the younger generations and if we take the power we have into our own hands, we will be able to change the course of the future. But if we continue to run it the way it is being run now, nothing will change. Coates talks about how the existence of America is the problem, so if we start to change America for the better there will be a greater chance of reparations in the future.
In the third paragraph that Coates talks about HR-40 he says that maybe reparations may never be fully repaid and that reparations are being seen as a threat. The threat of reparations is that they challenge the ideas that this country was founded upon. They challenge the racist ideals and viewpoints of our founding fathers. And this is seen as a threat too many people and people in power. They believe that America is perfect and that there is nothing that needs to be changed, which is very false. But when these ideas are questioned people get very defensive and make reparations look like the bad guy. If we push for reparations, there is going to be a lot of backlash and this is the threat the Coates is worried about. He is worried about the push back from citizens if HR-40 ever passes.
In the last paragraph that Coates mentions HR-40 challenges the myth that comes with reparations. He believes that if you actually think about reparations and what it can do for people you can see the good. But people are so set into their ways that they don’t give it a second thought. Reparations are something that can be good for many people and their families and can be one step closer to a more equal society. Coates believes that truly understanding reparations is what is going to help people become more aware about what they truly are and what they truly mean.
