SOME MAY ASK: "How can I make reparations?"
Reparations can take many forms, both monetary and non-monetary. To learn more about different types of reparations, we recommend reading this NPR article.
You can get involved with the Reparations Collective or any number of other groups focused on reparations.
We invite you to join members of the Reparations Collective in making payments into our Collective Reparations Fund. We think of this as a way of reducing the debt of unearned, often generational privilege, until such time as our government and major institutions finally take on this responsibility.
YOU MAY WONDER: “How much should I pay in reparations?”
Individual reparation payments are typically an amount of money set aside each year/month/week, in acknowledgement of one’s relative prosperity, due to skin color. Each person decides the amount of money they feel is fair to contribute towards reparations.
This is entirely up to the individual. However, many of us have used statistics to help us. For example, you could use the fact that the median white household is 10X more than its Black counterpart to guide your reparation payment. E.g: If you make $80,000 a year, you could consider paying 10% of that income annually towards reparations ($8,000.) Does that seem like a lot? It is! That’s exactly why the economic disparity is so troublesome in our country.
Only you can decide how much you can pay towards reparations. If you can swing 10% or more, give it a try! If not, the chart below suggests a much more modest payment schedule.
Net Annual Suggested Monthly Reparations
Household Income Payment
$0 - $18,000 $5+
$18,001 - $23,000 $15+
$23,001 - $32,000 $25+
$32,001 - $40,000 $75+
$40,001 - $50,000 $200+
$50,001 - $70,000 $400+
$70,001 - $100k $550+
$100k + $850+
(In calculating your income, add all monies--both earned and unearned.)
Pay more on the scale if you:
Have few or no dependents
Have a college degree
Have retirement savings, investments, inherited money, unearned income
Can ask people in your life for money on an emergency basis or otherwise
Own the home you live in
Choose to work less than you can and have higher earning power than you are currently tapping into
BIG THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING RESOURCES FOR THEIR GUIDANCE:
Suggested Monthly Payment comes from Ride Free Fearless Money
Sliding scale factors here are partially derived from Little Red Bird Botanicals
PERHAPS YOU WILL SAY: "Okay! I'm ready to pay reparations. How do I get started?"
The Reparations Collective invites you to join us in paying reparations. Perhaps you will devise your own reparations plan. If so, we'd love to hear what you come up with!
Or, if you'd rather dedicate an amount of money and have others do the research about where goes, you can join our Collective Reparations Fund (CRF) . There are some advantages to this:
Reparations payments made to the CRF can reduce the communication and administrative load for Black and Indigenous-led grassroots organizations, which are often run by volunteers and/or part-time staff.
Reparations payments made to the CRF enable groups to receive larger amounts of payments, in a more consistent way. This can help with budgeting and planning.
As mentioned before, by combining resources together, everyone can participate--no matter what one’s income level is—and thus leverage more repair than if one attempted a reparative action alone.
In 2024, the Reparations Collective is in relationship with two groups---Crossing the Waters and the Chaubunagungamaug Nipmuc Band. The Chaubunagungamaug Nipmuc Band is seeking to restore cultural traditions & to preserve historical tribal records. Crossing the Waters is dedicated to healing the wounds of slavery. Both are Massachusetts-based and will receive reparation payments in 2024.
In 2023, the reparations payments were divided between to Kibilio (Refuge) Community and Farm in western MA, 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. In 2022 the reparation payments were directed towardsKiblio and to the New England Chapter of the National Coalition of Reparations for Black Americans.
If this pleases your heart and mind, please feel free to set up payments through Paypal or send a check directly to the CRF (see details below.) Twice yearly, we will move accumulated monies from the Collective Reparations Fund to Black and Indigenous organizations.
Please send checks to:
Collective Reparations, PO Box 81, Shelburne Falls, MA 01370.
Please include your name & email address with your payment so that we can let you know when we make our collective reparation payments.
Please note that a portion of monies collected in the CRF is paid annually directly to our Black and Indigenous Accountability Partners for their labor with the Collective, and a tiny portion goes to maintaining our PO Box. 💖
Have questions? Want to know more or join our email list? Please contact us at: thereparationscollective@gmail.com