South Carolina congressional hopeful Gregg Marcel Dixon, a descendant of former slaves, is urging President Joe Biden to offer Black Americans who meet specific qualifications reparations for $2.8 million, citing the enduring impacts of slavery.
A contender for the 6th Congressional District seat currently occupied by Democratic Rep. James Clyburn, Dixon voiced his perspective on reparations to Fox News Digital, stating, "Reparations is about a debt that is due."
Growing up, Dixon shared a home for 31 years with his great-grandmother, who raised herself by individuals who had once been slaves. This connection to America's troubling past is something he discussed during a campaign ad on Twitter.
"Although we may argue that slavery is a distant memory, consider that I was brought up under the same roof as a woman whose upbringing was overseen by people enslaved in this very country," Dixon stated, referring to his great-grandmother, Justine Brown. Brown, born into a family with a history of enslavement in Beaufort, South Carolina, passed away at 101 in 2015.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Dixon asserted, "This country owes reparations to Black Americans and if this country had done to you what it had done to Black Americans, I would be right there fighting for you to get what you owed as well."
Discussing his lineage, Dixon highlighted the military service of his ancestor Quash Fripp, who fought for the Union Army during the Civil War.
Throughout the interview, Dixon repeatedly referred to President Biden as "Slow Joe Crow Biden." He emphasized his belief that Biden has the executive power to reactivate the Freedmen's Bureau, a post-Civil War agency charged with aiding newly freed slaves.
"That bureau has an unfinished job of repairing the great inequities that we see here in America, where Black Americans have been in this country longer than nearly all other ethnic groups," he claimed, stressing that despite this, Black Americans are disproportionately represented among the nation's poorest due to an incomplete process of Reconstruction.
Dixon, who was initially critical of former President Trump, indicated that Trump's policies would have been more beneficial for Black Americans.
"Donald Trump had plans where he was going to invest at least $500 billion into the Black American community, he was going to start the Department of African-American Affairs to focus specifically on our needs, he was talking about the damage that illegal immigration causes to black Americans," he stated. "It's way more than what we're getting now and what any other presidential candidate has offered."
He criticized President Biden for not taking action, explaining that he believes the current administration has little incentive to do so.
"Black Americans are mostly ignored, aside from superficial gestures like fish fries, feel-good dances, and cultural appropriations. We're at the bottom because we continually give our votes away, without demanding more in return," he claimed.
Dixon proposes a reparations plan involving government-issued cash bonds totaling $2.8 million for every qualifying Black American. The amount would accrue interest daily until disbursed.
Calling the notion of direct payments "insane" due to the inflation it would cause, he instead suggests, "My plan calls for recipients to get $2.8 million in cash bonds. It would be paid monthly per interest on the cash bonds and once the bonds have matured."
He believes such payments would stimulate the economy. Dixon said, "Every penny we get is going right back to this nation."
As for how the money would be used, Dixon said it's not for anyone else to decide. He argued, "When Germany gives direct payments to Holocaust survivors, they don't say 'OK, give me a business plan.' It is insulting for people to talk about how Black Americans are going to spend our money."
Dixon takes a stand against current Democratic lawmakers and rejects their plans to invest in Black communities, insisting such efforts are ineffective.
"When Democrats introduce these programs to help Black Americans, they end up helping everyone elseillegal immigrants evenbesides Black Americans," he said. "And the next thing we know, we're further to the bottom, and we haven't been helped at all, so we need direct cash payments."
He opposed California's proposal to offer $1.2 million per person, arguing reparations should be a federal matter.
"Reparations ultimately is something that comes from the federal government," he said. "A lot of states simply don't have the tax revenue to pay what is owed. The federal government does."
He emphasized that reparations are about settling a debt, not battling racism. For example, he pointed to reparations given to Japanese Americans interned during WWII via The Civil Liberties Act of 1988.
Dixon concluded, "It is not to fight against racism, it is not to punish White people, it is not race based."
He argues that despite America's failure to compensate former slaves adequately during Reconstruction, reparations should account for not only slavery but also later government-sanctioned forms of discrimination. He does not believe White Americans should be eligible regardless of their lineage.
Regarding tracing lineage to qualify for reparations, Dixon claimed, "Most Black Americans know exactly who we are and from where we come in."
In the 2022 Democratic primary for Clyburn's seat, Dixon received only 4.5% of the vote. He is embroiled in a lawsuit against Clyburn, alleging a conspiracy to have him dismissed from his teaching position.
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