The terms “minorities” and "people of color" have been widely used as a politically correct terms to refer to individuals who are not white. However, these terms have come under great scrutiny in recent years for their lack of inclusivity and inaccuracy in representing BIPOC populations.

I recently had a chat with my best friend from college who was born and raised in North Carolina. My dad, my cousin, and I were all trying to explain Pasadena’s racist past and present to my best friend since she is new to the LA area. In a conversation of race and class, my cousin mentioned being harassed by a law enforcement officer who asked why he was on the east side of Lake Ave after dark. It begs the question of which side does he, a Black man, belong to?

This concept of monetary reparations is far from rocket science, yet it has been made to seem complicated simply to deter the conversation. In reality, all types of tax breaks, baby bonds, etc. are organized for other groups of people (non-Black peoples) all the time. However, when the topic of justice for the descendants of kidnapped and enslaved Africans arises, suddenly the concept of reparations becomes inconceivably complex.