There is apparently a split of opinion among the proponents of reparations. The mainstream view is that they should be paid only to the direct descendants of at least one slave; the minority opinion is that all African-Americans are entitled to receive them.
You can see the appeal of the mainstream position; tying reparations to slavery is an appropriate response to the argument that people who voluntarily accepted the burdens of discrimination in exchange for the benefits provided by this country aren’t entitled to compensation. In addition, the focus on the unique evils of slavery, and not discrimination, eliminates the concern that the logic of reparations would also apply to Native Americans and Asian-Americans, as well. It is, in some respects, a politically astute position.
The down sides, from the perspective of reparation proponents, are that there is no obvious reason why white people whose ancestors did not own slaves should have to pay anything under this theory, and that the more widespread effects of discrimination after the Civil War (limited housing choices, bad schools, etc.) are logically not subject to the payment of compensation. That would be a problem for someone like Ta-Nehisi Coates, who wants to throw a blanket of guilt over the entirety of white America.
It’s a fairly close call. Let’s hope the two sides beat each other to a pulp and consequently leave the rest of us alone.