Published: 7/20/2023 3:00:40 PM
After years of educating others on the importance of reparations, a group of Franklin County residents has established a Collective Reparations Fund to support local, Black-led nonprofits.
“To this day, reparations payments are a small way to make amends for the harms that were done in the past and that continue through today,” said Allen Davis, one of the five individuals in the group, called The Reparations Collective. “That’s over 400 years. We know this is not sufficient but we believe it’s necessary, and it’s an action that every individual can take.”
According to the United Nations, reparations are measures to redress human rights violations. Monetary compensation is one method.
Davis said for the last two years, he has met with Sharin Alpert, Teegrey Iannuzzi, Jane Stephenson and Kate Stevens — a group that describes themselves as “residents who benefit from white privilege” — to advocate for reparations education, policy change and legislation. The group originated in 2020 as a committee of Racial Justice Rising.
“In 2021, we established accountability partnerships with Black reparations leaders,” he said. “That’s when we started offering reparations workshops in the community.”
Last year, The Reparations Collective raised $7,000 for organizations in the region, according to Davis. Among the groups to receive money was the New England chapter of the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America. The plan is to donate money twice yearly.
According to the collective’s website, for 2023, the reparations payments will be divided between Kibilio (Refuge) Community and Farm, which is rooted in Black and queer land sovereignty, and the Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust, an informal alliance of 525 Black, Latinx, Indigenous and Asian farmers and land stewards of color.
“Here in the USA, on average, white folks, regardless of class status, have more resources than Black people,” Stevens said in a statement. “This is based on systems and structures that persist regardless of legislation or narratives of equality. We believe it’s time for us to recognize this injustice by personally paying into reparations. Contributors can make deposits of any amount. We recognize that reparations are not just about money. Our long-term aim is to secure all manner of reparations for African Americans. In the meantime, we will use collected funds to support Black-led non-profit organizations in our area.”
The Collective Reparations Fund is held at Greenfield Savings Bank. Checks made out to The Reparations Collective can be mailed to P.O. Box 81, Shelburne Falls, MA 01370. Payments can also be made online at thereparationscollective.org/reparations-you by clicking “Make Payment.” Donors are asked to include their email address if they have one to be updated when the money gets dispersed.
Reporter Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-930-4429. Twitter: @MaryEByrne.
