Introduction
The 1921 Tulsa Massacre is a chilling part of American history because the whole district of Greenwood, which is a center of the African American family’s prosperity, was utterly destroyed in Tulsa, Oklahoma (Morris, 1983). It happened during the period of violence that the white mob unleashed on the Black community and their businesses in Greenwood, a wave that led to the loss of thousands of lives and the displacement of many people (Morris, 1983). The total eradication of Greenwood has left an irreversible mark, in addition to the unremitting economic, social, and psychological wounds that the survivors and their offspring have to live with. This earth-shattering event remains a trailblazer, sending a critical message of the necessity of acceptance, reparations, and healing to all generations that come after.
Corrective Justice and Reparations
Justice of reparations, based on the ethical principle of “righting a wrong,” is a type of corrective justice that requires compensating those who have been harmed (Morris, 1983). The consequence of historical injustices like the Tulsa Massacre with reparations involves acceptance of the enduring impact of the past and offering compensation to the victims and their descendants (Morris, 1983). Such repair can be represented by various actions, including funding and support, community development initiatives, education opportunities, and recognition of the wrongdoing (Morris, 1983). By tackling the physical and non-physical consequences of historical tragedies, reparations help maintain the rule of law and justice in affected countries by helping to relieve the diseases of systemic oppression and ultimately heal and reconcile the affected communities.
Answering the Question
The government of the state of Oklahoma must recognize the magnitude of the harm inflicted upon the victims of the Tulsa Massacre and their descendants. The state also needs to acknowledge the fact that this devastation continues to affect the lives of the survivors and their families. Therefore, it is appropriate for the state to compensate the survivors and their families for the injustices they experienced. This desolation of Greenwood and the loss of lives and livelihoods created intergenerational trauma and economic deprivation that are still an issue for African Americans of Tulsa today (Morris, 1983). Reparations are imperative to admit historical injustice, make up for the harm that has already been caused, and contribute to the rehabilitation and revitalization of people who have survived this trauma and their progeny.
The moral implications of the presence of descendants after the wrongful act are brought up by Morris (1983) in his arguments regarding the need for compensation that does not have an existential limit. Some people may argue that descendants who were born after the massacre should not have the right to reparations, but Morris’s analysis gives us a different view that rectification justice should include everyone who was affected by the injustice of the past, including those people who do not know the actual time when the injustice took place (Morris, 1983). Hence, both the survivors and the descendants of the Tulsa Massacre should be offered reparations that reflect the intergenerational effect of the injustice and the perpetual demand for corrective justice.
However, Darby’s perspective on the traditional normative approach that advocates for reparations focuses on how the government would have used slavery to provide for their citizens (Darby, 2010). The argument of compensatory justice says that the US government, through its undertakings and acts, is capable of causing the persistent harm that black Americans experience, among them those who were affected by events such as the 1921 Tulsa Massacre (Darby, 2010). Consequently, the obligation to make reparations is not limited to individuals who carried out the injustices but also extends to systemic actors propagating racial inequalities. (Darby, 2010).
To conclude, this essay reveals the evident pleas from both Morris and Darby. The historical mistakes and injustices still impact the lives of survivors and their descendants. Thus, it calls for remedies and reparations to these people. As a result, the state of Oklahoma must do its part by reparating those affected by the Tulsa Massacre. As such, reparations are not just an essential admission of past horrors but a critical instrument for reconciliation and correction of the persistent injustices that have enslaved the community for a long time. This fulfills the moral duty of Oklahoma and will, by so doing, set the state on the right path to reconciliation and justice for the families.
References
Darby, D. (2010). Reparations and Racial Inequality.
Morris, C. W. ]. (1983). Existential Limits to the Rectification of Past Wrongs. University of Illinois Press on behalf of the North American Philosophical Publications.
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