Beto O’Rourke Says He’d Support Commission on Reparations for Slavery
Beto O'Rourke says if he is elected president, he would support a House bill that would create a commission to study reparations to African Americans over slavery.
Beto O'Rourke greets attendees at a campaign stop in Houston, Texas.
Photographer: Scott Dalton/BloombergNew York (AP) -- On the opening day of a gathering of black leaders and voters in New York, two Texans seeking the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination delved into the issue of reparations for African Americans over slavery.
Speaking at the four-day conference of the National Action Network, the civil rights organization founded by the Rev. Al Sharpton, former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke and former San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro weighed in on the topic. The question of whether to support reparations for African Americans as a means of addressing centuries of slavery and legal discrimination emerged as something of a litmus test earlier this year for Democratic presidential candidates.