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Earlier this month, the House Judiciary Committee approved a bill that would establish a commission to study the impact of slavery and anti-Black racism in this country, and explore the distribution of monetary reparations to address enduring consequences of these atrocities. This bill was first introduced over two decades ago, and was re-introduced every year by Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) until his retirement, never advancing past the committee’s vote until this year. The fact that it has finally passed the committee is momentous, historic and long overdue. Yet even if the bill passes the House and makes it to a Senate vote, it is widely expected to fail due to partisan polarization (…and white supremacy …and a lack of true representation in our legislature. The closer we look at our systems, the more we find them rife with built-in inequities.) 

Black families in the U.S. are less likely than those of other races to own a home, and twice as likely as white families to be in poverty. On average, the net wealth of white families is 10 times that of Black families, illustrating clearly the compounded effects of generational wealth and opportunity, or lack thereof. Research published last year by William Darity and Kirsten Mullen found that reparations could eliminate the racial wealth gap in 10 years. Yet, in 2019, current Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) whose great great grandparents enslaved people on cotton farms, stated that he didn’t “think that reparations for something that happened 150 years ago, for whom none of us currently living are responsible, is a good idea. We tried to deal with our original sin of slavery by fighting a Civil War, by passing landmark civil rights legislation, by electing an African American president.” 

We hear similar sentiments often from white folks. “I’m not responsible for my ancestors’ mistakes.” “It was a long time ago.” “I’ve worked hard for my accomplishments and they shouldn’t be discounted because I am white.” I submit that each of these is missing the point. It is less that white people haven’t worked hard for our own accomplishments, and more that others have not had access to the same opportunities – and even when they work as hard or harder, are not able to advance to the same degree due to racism that persists at all levels of systems. Justice work requires we acknowledge that our history has modern day legacies, that the present is shaped by the past; and inasmuch as we (white folks) may not support the actions of our ancestors, we must acknowledge that we live under and benefit from their legacy.  

Justice work requires we acknowledge that the present is shaped by the past; and inasmuch as we (white folks) may not support the actions of our ancestors, we live under and benefit from their legacy. Click To Tweet

Furthermore, I am fascinated by the ubiquity of “guilt” in these discussions; it typically functions as a distancing tactic to shut down conversation. Ironically, I believe those who raise the topic of guilt generally project this accusation onto activists for racial justice; (“People are telling me I should feel guilty for who I am.”) I have rarely, if ever, heard this sentiment coming from activists, and believe it is more a talking point highlighted by those who oppose racial progress, and subsequently parroted by others who assume it is what activists want. Guilt shuts us down, and the activists I know recognize that is contrary to progress.  

Supporting reparations requires circumventing these “distancing” barriers by unlearning capitalist, individualist mindsets into which most of us in the U.S. have been deeply socialized.  

As an attendee of a historically women’s college, I did my best to soak up as much knowledge as possible from my peers and alumni about employers lowballing women’s salary offers, negotiating compensation, and self-advocacy to set myself up for compounded financial gains over the course of my lifetime. I learned quite a bit from my community and felt better equipped to navigate a world that I knew was largely biased against me as a woman. 

The next step that I failed to make in my thought process for several years was “and because I have had access to this incredible wealth of knowledge — and thus will have access to more opportunities than many other women — I can redistribute my own resources to others who have not had these opportunities.” I freely shared the knowledge I had gained with others, and I supported the idea of reparations, but felt, “That is out of my hands. It’s the government’s responsibility.” 

I was still approaching this from a scarcity mindset. It wasn’t that I felt that people shouldn’t be addressing the racial wealth gap but that I, as a woman, had to prioritize my own financial success first, to combat the gender wage gap that was *so unfairly* going to shape the rest of my life. Since then, I have learned to label this a scarcity mindset, and have also learned about a shared abundance mindset that can take its place. My level of satisfaction and happiness has improved significantly as a result of this “unlearning.” 

Another barrier to reparations becoming a reality has been the label that has been routinely attached to the idea as “impractical.” Even those who claim to see the benefit in theory often argue that it is logistically “too complex” to pursue. I believe this to be another distancing tactic, and I encourage us all to reject this narrative. Think about the millions of logistical challenges we collectively overcame this year: to transition much of our workforces to remote work, and to revamp our election processes to make them more flexible and accessible in the context of a global pandemic, to name just two. We are absolutely capable of overcoming logistical barriers when we want to. This excuse for not pursuing reparations directly is just that.  

We are absolutely capable of overcoming logistical barriers when we want to. This excuse for not pursuing reparations directly is just that. Click To Tweet

Because our lawmakers remain unlikely to take action on this matter until we vote out those who cling to racist ideals and reject measures that would quickly eliminate persistent disparities, I believe we must commit to voting them out. And in the meantime, I also believe it is incumbent upon us to take action as individuals and organizations to prove that reparations are possible and to address harm in our communities where our representatives fail to do so. People continue to be harmed every day as a result of collective inaction on reparations, and we have the power to change this. Reparations is as real as you make it. 

It is incumbent upon us to take action as individuals and organizations to prove that reparations are possible and to address harm in our communities where our representatives fail to do so. Click To Tweet

  

Making Reparations Real In Your Personal Life 

Venmo, one of several popular apps allowing users to transfer money to one another at no cost, is part practical service, part social media. If you have an account, you know that you can view in your “feed” public transactions between people you are connected with on social media (“Blake paid Diego – ‘rent and takeout’). More recently, I have seen a new memo line appearing in my feed – a simple “reparations.” Maybe you know someone struggling to pay rent or afford childcare – can you afford to send them some funds to help? If so, what is stopping you? Here are some other ideas about how you can make reparations a reality in your personal life: 

  • Broadly, consider: how can you contribute funds to bring others closer to the quality of life that you personally enjoy? 
  • If you don’t know someone personally who needs support, there are many social media pages devoted to connecting those who need support with those who can provide it. The Conscious Kid has been collecting funds to directly support rent payments and prevent evictions during COVID since last year. NAARC – the National African American Reparations Commission and the associated Funds for Reparations Now are always accepting donations. Reparations – Requests and Offerings is an active Facebook group where folks post requests and offerings of both monetary and non-monetary needs. 
  • Make a personal commitment to contribute to every fundraiser in support of Black individuals and families that shows up in your newsfeed. Can you afford to contribute $10 each time? $30? $5? $3? Anything helps. Choose an amount that feels realistic for you, or commit to donate a certain amount each month and contribute to each fundraiser you see until you reach this amount.  
  • Importantly: Follow through on your commitment, without any qualifiers. Do it every time. Don’t comb through the GoFundMe pages for “proof” of need. Don’t compare different needs (“funds for therapy seem less important than funds for rent…”). Instead, trust that folks asking for support understand their own needs best and need help because the system has failed them. Don’t expect or demand a response or recognition of your contribution. If you find yourself craving recognition, interrogate why. Could it be a “savior” mindset? Internalized capitalism suggesting we should always receive something when we give something? Each of these tendencies is a reflection of capitalistic-over-human centered mindsets into which we have been socialized, but each is paternalistic and contrary to liberation. Recognize these tendencies and reflect on them when you notice them coming up for you; don’t let them stop you from contributing. 
  • When you learn about an injustice, commit to seek out ways to contribute. Following the murder of Daunte Wright, several fundraisers were launched within a day to support his family and cover funeral costs. I learned about them, again, on Venmo. More often than not, all it takes is a Google search to directly support families and communities harmed by racist tragedies. 
  • “Snowball” your contributions by inviting others to contribute. By reaching out to a few friends and family members to share fundraisers we had learned about, my partner and I were recently able to inspire contributions that totaled over 8x the amount we had given to a fundraiser. When people are asked directly by those they know and trust to contribute, they are much more likely to follow through. 
If you find yourself craving recognition, interrogate why. Could it be a savior mindset? Internalized capitalism suggesting we should always receive something when we give something? It's paternalistic and contrary to liberation. Click To Tweet

 

Making Reparations Real in Your Organization 

Despite inaction by our national representatives, organizations and even communities are taking reparations into their own hands. In March of this year, Evanston, Illinois, approved the nation’s first government reparations plan “to acknowledge the harm caused by discriminatory housing policies, practices and inaction going back more than a century.” The $10 million plan will first create grants for homeownership and improvement, and mortgage assistance for Black residents descended from those who suffered housing discrimination in the city. 

Also this year, the Jesuit order of Catholic priests vowed to raise $100 million for reparations to support racial reconciliation in the U.S. and to benefit descendants of people it once enslaved. We are certain to see more and more examples emerging of organizations embarking on reparations initiatives. Here are some ideas to bring reparations to your own organization: 

  • Broadly, consider: how can you allocate funds differently to address past and present harm, and increase your Black employees’ quality of life to that that most of your white employees enjoy? 
  • In recognition of racialized generational cycles of wealth and poverty, and unequal access to education, commit to: 
    • Funding student loan repayment or childcare expenses for Black/IPOC employees
    • Reviewing your compensation, hiring and promotion structures to address ways your organization may be contributing to the racial wealth gap
    • Providing alternate forms of compensation, like market shares in your company, to Black/IPOC employees
    • Investing in organizational initiatives that support formally incarcerated and returning citizens who are re-entering the workplace or building their own businesses (Last year, we highlighted the experience of Claudia Shivers on The Inclusion Solution LIVE.)  
  • In recognition of the impact of unequal access to healthcare and disproportionate stress on health outcomes for BIPOC, commit to:
    • Offering additional paid time off to Black/IPOC employees 
    • Increasing access to health insurance benefits for Black/IPOC employees 
    • Paying justice or equity ‘bonuses’ to Black/IPOC employees who engage in or lead DEI work in addition to their job responsibilities 
  • If the aforementioned suggestions raise red flags in terms of your organizational budget as a whole, rearrange it. Are your senior leaders compensated exponentially more than your lower-paid workers? Why? Can they afford to take a small pay cut so that resources can be allocated more equitably? A frequently-cited study  from 2010 found that emotional well-being is positively correlated with salary only up to $75k. A more recent study revised this number to $105k for optimal life satisfaction in North America, and found that “Earnings past that point tended to coincide with a lower levels of happiness and well-being.” In many organizations, senior leaders are paid far more than this, while those at the lowest pay grades struggle to get by and weather common life challenges. If your organization meets this criteria, it may be time for a frank conversation about why, and how you can adjust the budget to correct for this. 
  • If philanthropic giving is already a part of your organization’s work, commit to designating a portion of external philanthropic giving to reparations efforts. Can you create or contribute to a fund to support rent payments and other needs? Can you fund the creation and sustainability of Black-owned businesses and nonprofits in your community with unrestricted funding? One way that anti-Blackness shows up through corporate giving is through ‘prove it again’ metrics that become burdensome for organizations doing the work.  
Can you fund the creation and sustainability of Black-owned businesses with unrestricted funding? One way that anti-Blackness shows up through is through ‘prove it again’ metrics that become burdensome for organizations doing the… Click To Tweet
  • Come to consensus among organizational leadership about how you will make reparations real. Next, anticipate how you will respond to accusations like “reverse racism” – whether from those internal to your organization, or those external. Stand strong in your commitments and share your “why.” Ideally, commitments to reparations can be tied to existing organizational values and priorities, but also leverage statements about the organization’s commitment to racial equity and justice and point to your new initiatives as part of this work to address well-documented, ongoing racial disparities. We need organizations to charge into these initiatives with the same unapologetic force they do advertising rainbow Oreos and same-sex couples purchasing cars during Pride Month. 
  • Reach out to other organizations and leaders in your circle to share ways you have made reparations real and challenge them to do the same in their own organizations. 
We need organizations to charge into reparations initiatives with the same unapologetic force they do advertising rainbow Oreos and same-sex couples purchasing cars during Pride Month. Click To Tweet

Another common distancing statement we encounter in justice work is, “Progress takes time. Think about how much progress we have made in recent decades!” This language very literally suggests to those harmed by racial injustices that they remain perpetually patient in waiting for rights, access, safety and resources that white people not only enjoy now, but have for decades — even generations. As James Baldwin once said: “You always told me it takes time. It’s taken my father’s time, my mother’s time, my uncles’ time, my brothers’ and my sisters’ time, my nieces’ and my nephews’ time. How much time do you want for your progress?”  

Time has a real, human price, and that is why we must commit on both personal and organizational levels to making reparations real to address past and compounded harm that continues to impact Black communities today.