Danny Glover says reparations for slavery are a 'moral, democratic and economic imperative' – but Twitter has mixed reactions

Todd Garrin

Actor and activist Danny Glover appeared before a House Judiciary panel on Wednesday, and spoke out in favor of a measure that would establish a committee to look into the impact slavery has had on the African-American community.

The measure, known as H.R.40, also calls for the committee to develop a proposal for potential financial or other reparations for descendants of enslaved Africans.

“A national reparations policy is a moral, democratic, and economic imperative,” said Glover. “I sit here as the great grandson of a former slave, Mary Brown, who was freed by the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1st, 1863. I had the fortune of meeting her as a small child,” he added.

Glover went on to point out the importance of the hearing. “Despite much progress over the centuries, this hearing is yet another important step in the long and heroic struggle of African Americans to secure reparations for the damages inflicted by enslavement and post-emancipation and racial exclusionary policies.”

Other speakers at the hearing included Senator Cory Booker, and author Ta-Nehisi Coates. Coates’s piece, The Case for Reparations, is credited by many as reviving the conversation surrounding reparations.

The subject remains controversial, and Twitter had mixed reactions to the speakers. Some supported Glover and applauded him for speaking out:

Others disagreed with the concept of reparations:

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