Reparations Daily (ish) Vol. 102

Let this Backlash Fuel You: Building Communities of Persistence

Jun 10, 2024

Reparationists —

It’s been some time since I penned an edition of Reparations Daily (ish), though I have a good excuse. Since the last post, I co-founded an organization called the BLIS Collective, which stands for Black Liberation-Indigenous Sovereignty, alongside my friend and colleague Savannah Romero. Our mission is to spark radical collaboration and narrative alignment between and within Black, Indigenous, and transformative social movements (but more about that in the next edition!)

Today’s Opinion section offers reflections on the recent attacks over the last few years on affirmative action, critical race theory, DEI, and the reparations movement. Last week, a conservative “watchdog group” called Judicial Watch filed a class-action lawsuit against Evanston’s reparations program, alleging that the program discriminates against non-Black residents in violation of the Constitution.

I know those of us who advocate for reparations daily are feeling a whirlwind of emotions — anxiety, grief, anger, and a host of others. I am no lawyer, so I won’t delve into the legal arguments we need to make in the wake of these attacks, but I do believe this moment presents an opportunity for a radical expansion of the movement.

I’ve been deeply moved by the debut album from Tems, Born in the Wild. It is a musical and storytelling masterpiece. In particular, the closing song on the album titled “Hold On” has been on repeat, inspiring me to sit down and write this edition. The bridge goes:

I said hold on, you better hold on
It’s gonna find you, It’s gonna find you
It feels right now, ready to fight now
I’m moving in now, I’m breathing out now
I’m releasing, this inhibition
I got advantage, no need to panic
You need reminding, let me remind you
You’re gonna find it, it’s gonna find you

Even in the face of this backlash and the immense grief and anxiety of this moment, I am unshaken in my belief that this movement is not only destined to find billions of people but inspire them to push for a much more beautiful world.

The movement is calling. Will you answer?

With radical love,
Trevor

Evanston faces a class action lawsuit from the judicial “watchdog” group Judicial Watch, which claims the program is unconstitutional.
A U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit ruled the Fearless Fund should be temporarily blocked from issuing grants to Black women entrepreneurs.
New York State passed its budget a few weeks ago — it allocated $5 million to the upcoming statewide Reparations Commission.
The California Senate passed a slate of reparations proposals that are now advancing to the State Assembly. The proposals, inspired by recommendations from the California Reparations Taskforce, include a bill to create a fund to compensate Balck families whose property was unjustly seized by the government and an agency to help Black families research their family lineage.
RFK Jr. is calling for $5 billion in financial reparations to be given to Black farmers.

Opinion: Let This Backlash Fuel You: Building Communities of Persistence

In a recent conversation with a long-time friend about some personal struggles I’m currently dealing with, she asked me, “Can you let this fuel you?” This question strikes at the heart of a profound conundrum often faced in social movements.

Allowing pain to become a source of energy can be both daunting and powerful. It requires a delicate balance — embracing our pain without letting it consume us and then channeling it into purposeful action.

In today’s context, this balancing act is more crucial than ever.

Let Grief In

For many of us, particularly Black activists dedicated to reparations, racial justice, and social justice, we are navigating not only personal stressors but also the daily reminder that Black lives are still viewed as disposable and undeserving of repair.

This reality can and often does lead to burnout. A 2015 paper titled “ Burnout in Social Justice and Human RightsActivists: Symptoms, Causes, and Implications found three main symptoms of activist burnout:

Deterioration of physical health (77 percent of interviewees reported experiencing deterioration in their physical health due to activism)
Deterioration of psychological and emotional health (72 percent believed they had suffered serious emotional or psychological health problems as a result of their activism)
Hopelessness (68 percent referred to feelings of hopelessness they developed as a result of their activism)

In the face of attacks from our opposition who seek to dull any conversation related to race and racial justice, how might we use the hopelessness, grief, anger, and anxiety that we are feeling right now to fuel our fight for reparations? How might we keep sight of the beautiful world we strive for, even when it can feel so distant?

In 2021, organizer, author, and movement leader Malkia Devich-Cyril authored a piece titled “Grief Belongs in Social Movements. Can We Embrace It?” They beautifully note that “grief is an evolutionary indicator of love — the kind of great love that guides revolutionaries.” The grief we might be feeling at this moment is a reflection of our love and care for humanity. It arises from the recognition that a tremendous amount of harm has been wrought on a community, and the disparities we see today cannot be addressed until we commit to reparations.

Grief is often seen as a response to loss — and while it may feel as if the movement is losing right now, there would be no backlash if we weren’t making an immense amount of progress. To be guided by grief at this moment would mean we do not allow it to paralyze us but instead, move through it with a radical form of determination. Devich-Cyril offers four steps in moving through grief, which they believe is not only an offering for individual activists but for social movements as a whole.

Reflecting on these steps, I’ve applied them to my work during this turbulent time. I offer how I’ve moved through these steps, hoping it might help you, too.

Step 1: Feel the loss fully: Embracing the fullness of a setback is an act of profound courage. It is the willingness to sit within the waves of grief that can wash over us without resistance. For activists, embodying this loss means acknowledging the depths of our pain because it is in this vulnerable space that we can find the strength to transform grief into action. I’ve given myself the space to feel the anxiety coursing through me and how it is affecting my overall mental, physical, and emotional health in this moment. I’ve journaled about my disappointment, frustration, and anger with this country while recognizing that backlash will forever be a part of this journey.
Step 2: Seek solace and comfort: Activism, particularly on this issue, and particularly for certain people, involves an immense amount of dedication, emotional labor, and, often, a continuous, direct confrontation with the unjust system we are trying to transform. Without community and places of comfort that can bring us joy and peace, the risk of burnout is immensely higher. Since the lawsuit against Evanston was filed, I’ve talked with friends, both those who see themselves within the movement and those who see themselves adjacent to it, to both strategize and vent. Moments of backlash can paradoxically serve as catalysts for stronger community spaces, increased unity, and clarity in our purpose.
Step 3: Find inspiration: As I sat down to curate the articles for this edition, I was reminded of the strength and breadth of the modern-day reparations movement. California marches forward with a suite of reparations legislation, New York has committed significant funding to support its statewide task force, and the conversation continues to expand at the local and national levels. In the face of backlash, it is vital to remember the wins, celebrate our victories, no matter how small, and reinforce the progress we have made. When feeling hopeless, it’s important to peek our heads up and see all the beautiful steps forward this movement is taking because of our collective actions.
Step 4: Take action from this place of grounded grief: BLIS was already planning to do a policy-narrative webinar alongside our colleagues Liberation in a Generation around their proposal for “guaranteed inheritance,” which calls for reparations and baby bonds. We are now turning this webinar into a workshop to hold space for people to grapple with the narratives we can organize around to push back against these ongoing attacks. With this space, we hope to create an interactive and supportive environment where participants, both new and old to the movement, can explore the power of stories and framing and understand the importance of shaping narratives and mindsets toward liberation and decolonization.

Becoming Reparationists

In the last edition, I asked, “Do you consider yourself a reparationist?” Of those who responded, 59 percent said yes, 18 percent said no, and 23 percent were unsure.

In a piece I wrote for YES! Magazine a few months ago, I discussed the importance of social identities in fostering a sense of belonging and purpose within the movement. I noted that “the path to becoming a reparationist may also similarly be sparked by a meaningful event that leads people down a path toward working to repair and liberate Black Americans in response to the harms of the transatlantic slave trade and its stain on society.”

This moment presents a critical opportunity to radically grow the reparations movement and provide people the tools and space to see themselves as a part of this vital cause.

For those who already identify as part of the movement, this is a call to deepen your engagement and bring others along with you. Share your stories, reasons for supporting reparations, and the impact this movement has had on your life. Your voice can inspire others to see themselves in this fight.

For those who are unsure or do not yet see themselves in the movement, we invite you to explore the profound importance of this moment. Our opposition is taking this country backward, further away from its stated ideals of democracy. Consider how the reparations movement aligns with your values and how you can engage using your voice, time, dollars, and skills to support the growth of this movement.

As I always do when I need inspiration, I’ve turned to bell hooks. A quote from her book Yearning: Race, Gender, Cultural Politics has stuck with me: “One of the most vital ways we sustain ourselves is by building communities of resistance, places where we know we are not alone.”

It is now clear to me that the reparations movement is not just one of resistance but one of persistence.

For over 400 years, in some way, shape, or form, Black people in the United States have always called for this country to fully address and repair the vestiges of slavery. From the persistence of Callie House to the persistence of Robin Rue Simmons today, this movement has been characterized by its relentless pursuit of redress. It has faced countless obstacles and opposition along the way, yet it has continued pushing forward, driven by a deep-seated belief that our society can transform. Through growth, the movement can remain even more persistent — because every voice and every action only amplifies our collective strength.

We stand at a crossroads, facing a monumental choice: we can either turn away from conversations about race and reparations or delve deeper into them. To turn away is to ignore the painful truths that have shaped our society — to perpetuate cycles of harm and to miss the opportunity for transformation. To turn away would mean to deny the humanity of Black people and our calls for repair.

To delve deeper, however, would be to open doors of understanding — allowing us to confront the uncomfortable truths of this nation. By engaging fully, we honor those who didn’t live to see justice and ignite the creation of a new story, legacy, and national identity.

National News

Reminder: Any news included in the newsletter is not an endorsement. Many of the arguments made in opinion pieces and the frames uplifted in reported pieces are against my & BLIS’ beliefs and values.

NBC Montana: Reparations enter presidential election conversation as cause advances locally

Washington Post: Biden says racial wealth gap is closing. The reality is complicated.

Reuters: The Proud Boys are back: How the far-right group is rebuilding to rally behind Trump

Southern Poverty Law Center: The Year in Hate & Extremism 2023

USA Today: DEI is unraveling at our universities. Good riddance to a failed and divisive bureaucracy.

Brookings: Narratives about critical race theory and Americans’ beliefs about public schools

WGBH: Black, Hispanic retirement savings lag far behind whites, report shows

The Guardian: Child of Klan leader on abandoning white nationalism: ‘I am haunted by its legacy’

USA Today: Fearless Fund blocked from giving grants only to Black women in victory for DEI critics

Chronicle of Philanthropy: The Push for Payback: Robert Wood Johnson and 80 Other Foundations Make a Case for Reparations

PBS: How racial disparities in financial education affect America’s wealth gap

Harvard: Representative Barbara Lee on the Imperative of Reparative Justice