The Reparations Trap

“One of the greatest human failings is to prefer to be right than to be effective,” the great actor and activist Stephen Fry once said. He explained that, in chess, the best move is not necessarily the most ideal chess move, but the one your opponent least wants you to make. I thought of Fry’s lesson in pragmatic wisdom recently, when the Philadelphia Reparations Task Force was announced. It was created by a resolution passed by Councilmembers Gauthier, Thomas and Brooks, and its charge is to study and make recommendations as to whether and how Philadelphia can provide reparations to Black descendants of enslaved ancestors. Other cities have gone down this path, including, most recently, Chicago, where embattled Mayor Brandon Johnson issued an executive order funding a reparations task force with $500,000. Members and supporters of Philadelphia’s Reparations Task Force. Left to right: Dominique London (Urban Planning and Sustainable Development Coordinator), VanJessica Gladney (Task Force project manager, not a member of the task force), Cara McClellan (Criminal & Legal Justice Coordinator), Breanna Moore (Co-Chair), Richard White (Atlantic World History Coordinator), Councilmember Jamie Gauthier, Rashaun Williams (Co-Chair), Ayanna Stephens MSEd (Education Coordinator), Kevin Mansa (Economic Coordinator). Photo by Chris Mansfield for...