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\"Reparations, when you take people's money that they've earned it, is punishment, it's theft,\" he added. \"It's saying that because of your skin color, you owe me. That is not the American way. We're not racist people. This American country is based on meritocracy.\"

As issues of systemic racism continue to plague the U.S., advocates have renewed calls in recent years for government reparations to address the mounting inequities still faced by Black Americans.

As the debate is pushed mainstream, cities such as Asheville, North Carolina, and Evanston, Illinois, have recently adopted measures to provide redress at the local level.

Late last year, California green lit a law that establishes a task force to study and make recommendations on reparations -- legislation that is very similar to the framework of H.R. 40.

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