Reparations activists from the U.S. Freedmen Project have criticised blue states for using slavery history in their public messaging whilst distributing reparations and assistance benefits to broader groups than direct descendants of enslaved Americans. The organisation argues this approach inappropriately conflates reparations with wider social justice initiatives and misallocates resources intended to address specific historical harms.

The criticism centres on proposed legislation such as New Jersey's Truth, Reconciliation, and Repair Act, which would extend reparations eligibility to residents who are not descendants of enslaved people. During public hearings in New York and New Jersey, activists including Annette Wilcox and Devine Prince contended that policies repeatedly reference slavery, Jim Crow and redlining in their framing but then distribute remedies to immigrants, marginalized communities and people of colour broadly. Demographic data from Hempstead, New York shows the village's population shifted from 14% Hispanic in 1990 to 45.3% today, illustrating the changing composition of communities where such policies apply.