Reparations Daily (ish) Vol. 90

Black People Support Reparations, But Are Not Hopeful About It

Sep 13, 2022

Happy Tuesday —

Yesterday in his daily newsletter, New York Times senior writer David Leonhardt asked, ‘Are the Polls Wrong Again?” Leonhardt points out how the final polls in the 2020 election overstated Biden’s lead in several states. In 2016, pollsters concluded that Clinton’s chance of winning ranged between 70-90 percent and lauded her as the heavy favorite in states where she lost badly.

Polls are imperfect because the future is just that; the future. Something that no one has ever been able to perfectly predict.

In today’s Opinion section, I give some high-level thoughts on a recent Pew Research poll on the topic of reparations.

Tomorrow, I’ll be hosting a conversation with Robin Rue Simmons on the latest with Evanston’s reparations effort.

Next City has a modest $1,000 fundraising goal for this event. Any amount you can give would be thoroughly appreciated!

Some news I’m reading and listening to…

Oakland recently announced plans to return 5 acres of a park to the East Bay Ohlone tribe.

Vox continues its reparations series.

Kimberle Crenshaw defends critical race theory for what seems like the umpteenth time.

The Cherokee National History Museum in Oklahoma opened a new exhibit focused on its history with slavery.

The descendants of people Harvard enslaved speak up.

Asheville is following in Evanston’s footsteps.

With radical love,
Trevor

Black People Support Reparations, But Are Not Hopeful About It

Pew Research recently released the results of a survey they conducted between October 4-17, 2021. One of their main findings was that 77 percent of Black adults think the descendants of enslaved people in the U.S. should be repaid in some way.

More so, there is relatively strong agreement on what policies could fall under a reparations policy portfolio — though there is less agreement on whether cash payments would be helpful.

Despite this large support, I’ve repeatedly heard from advocates within the reparations movement that their advocacy is targeted at the Black community.

Why are advocates targeting the community where there is the strongest support?

While there might be strong support across the Black community for reparations, in theory, I think advocates know that isn’t translating in practice.

Advocates can feel that amongst the Black community, there is a general lack of belief that reparations are something the U.S. government would deliver on — and Pew’s Research is one of the only polls I have seen asking a question that helps us confirm this.

Pew Found that 63 percent of Black adults do not believe reparations are likely in their lifetime.

It’s no surprise that there is a general lack of belief in a political and economic system rooted in Black oppression. Black in the United States have been given false promises and handed bad checks time after time.

If the last two election cycles taught us anything, it’s that numbers don’t tell the full story.

We Must Redistribute Hope

A few months ago, I wrote a piece that posed the question, ‘how might we redistribute hope?’

It’s a question I believe we must constantly ask ourselves because hope, according to philosophers, is the “unifying and grounding force of human agency.”

With the increased attention being given to reparations, we have the opportunity to tell stories that inspire hope. Stories of the past, present, and future that might push Black people to believe that reparations are not only necessary but also possible.

We must re-tell the stories where Black people fought for restitution. The stories of Belinda Sutton, Rosewood, Chicago, and Tuskegee. But we must also tell futuristic stories rooted in optimism that paint a picture of the world that lies on the other side of reparations.

A future world that abundantly embraces Black people, abolished oppressive carceral and economic systems, and created a society where the color of your skin does not determine your future life outcomes.

It’s hard to imagine, but we must let our imaginations run free.

Instead of asking how we might increase support for reparations. Perhaps, we must start asking how we might inspire hope for reparations. That slight tweak might shift our approaches, and our storytelling, for the better.