Why Precisely Is Bernie Sanders Against Reparations? Cont'd

On that question, Ta-Nehisi has written two pieces so far—here and here. A reader responds via hello@:

It is not necessary to debate the merits of reparations to know that black people in the U.S. will be the primary (statistically very over-represented) beneficiaries of any significant class-based redistribution of wealth and income, and therefore that their interests will be vastly better served by a Sanders victory than by that of any other presidential contender.

At this particular historical conjecture, one of the responsibilities of anti-racists is to make those facts known in black America so that black voters might be persuaded to switch their allegiance from Clinton (who offers no hope for a change in the status quo) to Sanders (who calls for a political revolution that will transfer wealth and power from those at the top to those at the bottom).

Unfortunately, Coates, in attacking Sanders, undermines that effort and thereby objectively works against the empowerment and enrichment of black Americans that would result from the political revolution for which Sanders is calling.

Another reader also thinks any talk of reparations from Sanders would be deeply counterproductive to his goals of social justice:

I really like Coates, and like many people, consider him an invaluable voice on race in America. I’m struggling with his views on Sanders, though.