Reparations for African Americans
NEWS:
In 2024 the Reparations Collective will be directing reparations payments, in part, to Crossing the Waters Institute for Cultural Exchange Crossing the Waters Institute for Cultural Exchange (CTW), a Massachusetts-based 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that offers opportunities for cultural connections between the United States and Africa.
SOME MAY SAY: "Slavery happened a long time ago. Why worry about it now?"
Harm to Black people on this continent began, but did not end, with the lawful practice of genocide, displacement, and chattel slavery. For the past 400 years, every social and economic system in the US has favored people who have light skin. According to the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America (N’COBRA), there are five types of continued injuries of slavery:
The destruction of Personhood/Nationhood and culture of Africans kidnapped into slavery and the imposition of a different culture onto enslaved people.
2. A failure to Educate enslaved people and their descendants equally in comparison to their white counterparts.
3. An inequitable Criminal Punishment system whereby Black people are incarcerated and put to death at a higher rate than their white counterparts.
4. Economic discrimination resulting in Wealth/Poverty inequality whereby the median white household is 10 times wealthier than its Black counterpart.
5. Health disparities between Black and white people.
SOME MAY SAY: “Okay, I get it but this is not my fault. Isn’t it the government’s job to take care of reparations?"
Yes, it is. But since our government and major institutions have neglected this responsibility, the Reparations Collective and other groups, are taking steps independently. But in the absence of reparative action from the federal government, many white residents of the United States are taking a personal approach. Because white residents enjoy wealth, education, health, freedom and cultural validation to a systematically greater degree than Black people, many of us feel it is our responsibility to work collectively towards reparations now, on personal and systemic fronts.
SOME MAY ASK: "What do reparations look like?"
Reparations can take many forms, both monetary and non-monetary. To learn more about different types of reparations, we recommend reading this NPR article.
The Reparations Collective has engaged accountability partners to help guide us in reparations work. These Black and Indigenous leaders encourage us to educate other people who benefit from light skin privilege. We offer teach-ins and educational programs. Be sure to join our mailing list so we can keep you updated about our current offerings!