“Reparations now,” Squad member demands for America’s 250th birthday. "This is about reciprocity."

Rep. Ayanna Pressley: reparations “not a plea for charity” — “this is about reciprocity”Ep. — Rep. Ayanna Pressley (6-2026)Who?Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) — Member, AOC’s progressive “Squad”LISTEN: Laslo & PressleyAsk a Pol asks:As the US marks its 250th anniversary, where do things stand on reparations for Black Americans?Key Pressley:“This is not a plea for charity or benevolence. This is about reciprocity,” Rep. Ayanna Pressley exclusively told Ask a Pol Politics.But the US has done reparatory compensation before, right?“We have done reparatory compensation in this country for other groups. We’ve done it for survivors of Japanese internment camps. We’ve done it for coal miners living with black lung, or Americans that experienced harms from where the nuclear bomb was being built. But we’ve not done it for Black Americans and it’s long overdue. Reparations now,” Pressley said.Caught our ear:“The fact that 1 million Black veterans were denied access to the GI Bill, that they were discriminated against after they fought for this country — and that GI Bill was foundational for so many families of white veterans to build generational wealth, to pursue education,” Pressley tells us.About Ask a Pol: We give listeners a front row seat to Congress. Transparency matters, so come inside the Capitol with us! Politicians disappoint. Ask a Pol keeps em honest. Find us on social media:SubstackXSpotifyAppleDon’t miss our other Ask a Pol sites! Ask a Pol politics.Ask a Pol crypto. Ask a Pol drugs. Ask a Pol ai. Ask a Pol uaps. Find Ask a Pol founder @MattLaslo on social media.  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.askapolpolitics.com/subscribe