Reparations, Power, and the Wrong Target

I was watching a video recently where a man interrupted a speaking engagement and heckled Kamala Harris over reparations.

And I want to be clear. That is not how power is engaged.

If we are serious about reparations, then we have to be serious about where pressure actually lands.

Right now, people are arguing over which political party “owes” us more attention. Some say Democrats should “run us our checks” because we vote for them. Others say we should pivot away from them entirely.

But the reality is simpler. You apply pressure where decisions are made.

At any given moment, that means targeting the people and institutions currently holding legislative and executive power. Not symbolic moments. Not speakers at events. Not individuals who do not have authority to allocate federal resources.

Donald Trump is the current president. Republicans control parts of the federal agenda. Democrats also operate within the same system of governance. That is the structure that produces policy. That is where leverage has to land.

Demand without decision-makers is noise.

Power without pressure rarely moves.

And historically, reparations is not a new idea. It connects back to Reconstruction. In 1865, Special Field Orders No. 15 under General Sherman promised land redistribution to formerly enslaved people. That was later reversed under Andrew Johnson. Reconstruction briefly opened a door, then federal policy closed it.

So when people talk about “waiting since the 1860s,” that frustration is rooted in an actual interrupted policy moment, not abstraction.

My point is not that people are wrong to demand repair. My point is that pressure has to be directed where outcomes are actually made.

Otherwise, nothing moves.