This is what happens when policymakers confuse reparations with race-based aid. Washington’s Covenant Homeownership Program, hailed by some as “racial equity in action,” is already under fire—and it hasn’t even had time to prove itself. Critics argue it discriminates by race, and a lawsuit filed by the Pacific Legal Foundation now claims it violates the 14th Amendment. The program offers down-payment loans, up to $120,950, funded through a $100 recording fee surcharge—but only for applicants in certain racial groups.
The backlash was predictable. In his August 1, 2025 newsletter, State Sen. Leonard Christian called out the program’s flaws, warning that it “discriminates by race” by excluding many would-be homeowners. Now, what was marketed as progress is on track to collapse under the weight of constitutional challenge. And once again, resources, energy, and community trust are squandered on a structure that was shaky from the start.
Contrast this with Washington’s landmark reparations study—the Charles Mitchell & George Washington Bush Reparative Justice Study—crafted on a lineage basis. That program, born from the fight and oversight of the descendant community, stands on stronger ground. Why? Because lineage, not race, is the only legally defensible and morally precise standard for reparations. It ties eligibility to the lived and inherited harms of U.S. chattel slavery—direct descendants, not broad racial categories that courts will strike down.
The lesson is stark: race-based shortcuts are not reparations. They are distractions that risk collapse and demoralize the very people they claim to uplift. Cities and states across the country must take heed. Follow Washington’s model: build lineage-based programs that can withstand scrutiny, hold true to history, and actually repair. Anything else sets us up to fail.
If you care about delivering real reparations—not empty headlines—support lineage-based initiatives and demand accountability when officials waste time on doomed experiments. Washington has already set the standard. It’s time others follow.
