At the Democratic primary debate on Tuesday, Marianne Williamson had a blunt response when asked to explain the $500 million she argues should be paid as reparations to the descendants of slaves: “Anything less than $100 billion is an insult.”
Asked by moderator Don Lemon why she says $500 billion was an appropriate amount, Williamson said “It’s $200 to $500 billion dollars payment of a debt that is owed. That is what reparations is.”
“It is time for us to simply realize that … when it comes to the economic gap between blacks and whites in America, it does come from a great injustice that has never been dealt with,” she continued. Then, referencing “40 acres and a mule,” Williamson added, “If you did the math today, it would be trillions of dollars, and I believe that anything less than $100 billion is an insult.” Watch the clip above.
The first night of CNN’s Democratic presidential debates took place in Detroit on Tuesday. Along with Warren, Sanders, and Delaney, other candidates included Marianne Williamson, Tim Ryan, Amy Klobuchar, Pete Buttigieg, Beto O’Rourke, John Hickenlooper, and Steve Bullock.
The second day of CNN’s Democratic debates will take place on Wednesday at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET. Featured candidates are Michael Bennet, Kirsten Gillibrand, Julián Castro, Cory Booker, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Andrew Yang, Tulsi Gabbard, Jay Inslee, and Bill de Blasio.