Ahhh, therein lies the crux of the matter. I earned my degree from a historically black university. It was interesting, being the only white kid in class, but I digress.
Most of the reparations movement comes from the Historically Black College and University (HBCU) system. I believe this is key to understanding the reparations movement.
HBCUs are dying. Traditionally, they were the only places that African-Americans could get a college degree, and as such they were vital to the African American community. However, as the black middle class has grown, and black opportunities have expanded, the HBCU hold on black higher education has slipped. The unintended consequences of the anti-discrimination laws can be found here, halfway down the page, in the article about Virginia State University, my alma mater.
The bottom line is that HBCUs are dying, and the reparations movement is simply a way to pump badly-needed cash into these universities.