By Pious Ali
Over the past few months, I have found myself in conversations about reparations. These discussions have been deep, and at times difficult, but they left me feeling obliged to share my perspective.
The call for reparations in America is both necessary and overdue. It is not a new idea, nor is it a radical one. But it is often misunderstood, particularly within the wider Black community. In my view, reparations should be directed specifically to the descendants of enslaved African Americans, not extended to more recent Black immigrants.
The case for reparations is clear. Generations of African Americans endured centuries of chattel slavery, followed by Jim Crow laws, redlining, disenfranchisement, racial terror, systemic exclusion, mass incarceration, and persistent economic barriers. These injustices were endured directly and continuously by families whose ancestors were enslaved in this country. Reparations are not simply about shared skin color or a collective Black identity; they are about repairing a very specific, historical, and generational harm.
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As a Black immigrant, I know firsthand the realities of racism and discrimination in America. I have experienced its sting and its barriers. Yet I cannot claim the historical trauma of enslavement here, nor the compounded injustices that generations of African Americans have faced on this soil. That pain is not mine to inherit, and the debt is not owed to me.
In conversations I have had with other African immigrants, both online and in person, many agree. We face discrimination in housing, in employment, in our neighborhoods, and in encounters with law enforcement. But our families were not enslaved here. We were not stripped of our names, our languages, our cultures, our land, and our wealth across centuries in this country. Our struggles, while very real, are different in origin and must be addressed in their own right. They should not be folded into a debt that belongs specifically to African Americans.
I want to be clear and I say this with the deepest respect and gratitude to African Americans: Your sacrifice, resilience, and courage carved the path that allows me to be here today. The Civil Rights Movement, led and carried by African Americans, opened doors for immigrants like me. The price they paid, often with their lives, created opportunities that my children and I now benefit from. I will never forget that, and I carry that awareness with humility.
Some may worry that drawing such a distinction divides us as a community. I believe the opposite is true. Solidarity is strongest when it is honest. For Black immigrants, standing in solidarity with African Americans means acknowledging that the reparations conversation is not about us. It means recognizing that while racism touches us all, the legacy of slavery created a uniquely American harm that requires a uniquely American response.
Reparations must remain focused. They are not charity, nor a policy favor, but a moral and economic debt owed for centuries of exploitation and violence. Redirecting or diluting that debt does not serve justice. It undermines it.
For Black immigrants, our work is to stand alongside our African American brothers and sisters, to amplify their voices, and to push with them for the repair that is long overdue. At the same time, we must organize and advocate for policies that address our own struggles: immigration reform, cultural preservation, pathways to economic stability, and equitable treatment in our adopted home. Our solidarity should be both principled and practical.
Over the past few months, I have heard many perspectives in these conversations. Some immigrants say they do not think reparations include them. Others are unsure and ask why not. These conversations are important, and they must continue. But at the heart of it, I believe we can honor both truths: reparations are for descendants of enslaved African Americans, and immigrants must stand in solidarity while pursuing justice for our own communities.
The fight for reparations is not just about the past; it is about the future. It is about whether America is willing to make right on a debt long denied. It is about whether justice can finally be applied fully and fairly. As an immigrant, I respect that this fight is not mine to lead. But I will always stand with those whose ancestors built this nation with their blood, sweat, and lives, and who are still waiting for the repair they are owed.
