JJ: I support reparations to repair for damage done, however, I also know that because of the race gauntlet that reparations are not possible under the Democratic, Republican, liberal and conservative arrangement. So what is possible is doing something for every single American, for which African Americans will also be a primary beneficiary. Every American will be a beneficiary of the right to a high-quality public education. If you are in a ghetto, if you are in a barrio, if you are in a slum, if you are in Appalachia, if you are in a rural area, the right to a high-quality public education as a constitutional right means that no urban area or rural area can possibly be left behind. I argue that America does not owe me a Rolex, a new house or a new Lexus. America owes us a better America. Direct reparations will not solve this problem. It will not fix the schools, health care or housing, nor will it close some significant gaps that exist in our society. Only a long-term commitment to make our country better can close these fundamental gaps for every single American.
PB: You are a famous young man with a famous father, and you may not experience this as much as an average African American, but when was the last time you experienced direct personal racism?
JJ: I experience it all the time. I get racially profiled all the time by Capitol Hill police officers on my way to vote. Crossing the street, one officer wanted to write me a ticket one day. I was on my way to a vote and he didn't acknowledge me or recognize me as a congressman and began writing the ticket. I said, "But I thought Capitol Hill police officers were supposed to assist members of Congress in getting to a vote." And he said, "Yeah, but you have to be a member of Congress." He had my ID in his hand to write his ticket and I said, "Has intelligence significantly dropped around here or do you have a problem reading that card?" And he looked at it and he was terribly embarrassed and apologetic. So if you are asking me about the typical version of racism, then I'd say that it happens to every African American I know, regardless of who they are or what they do.
PB: You are in favor of affirmative action, but many people in this country would say that affirmative action has been given long enough to work and that African Americans have been given preferential treatment long enough.
