Rep. Burgess Owens, a Black Republican congressman from Utah, on Wednesday blasted House Democrats for holding a hearing on reparations for Black Americans, saying it gives them false hope.
“It is impractical and a non-starter for the U.S. government to pay reparations. It is unfair and heartless to give Black Americans hope that this is reality,” he said.
Mr. Owens’ comments came during a House Judiciary subcommittee hearing to discuss creating a commission that would explore reparations for Black Americans.
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The commission would “recommend appropriate remedies” to racial disparities in the United States from 1619 to the present. A national apology and reparations are among the possibilities the commission would consider.
But Mr. Owens, whose great-great-grandfather came to the United States in a slave ship, said the commission will perpetuate racial stereotypes.
“The reality is that Black American history is not one of a hapless, hopeless race that is oppressed by a more powerful White race,” he said, adding that “millions of wealthy and middle class” Blacks have achieved the American dream.
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