Small Acts.
Big Change.

Micro-Reparations Enrich All of Us.

We know that most White people today have not consciously or intentionally accessed wealth or success at the expense of Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), but they have profited from social, political, legal, and economic systems that were specifically designed to favor White Americans. Reparations are an important tool for addressing and undoing this reality. 

Reparations acknowledge the harm experienced by Black and Indigenous people for the benefit of White individuals and offer some restitution for the incalculable suffering and losses borne by Black and Indigenous communities. Because of legal hurdles and a lack of political will, however, large-scale government reparations have largely failed to gain traction. But we, as individuals, can contribute to the cause by making “micro-reparations” to our Black and Brown neighbors.

Micro-reparations won’t fully address and atone for historic and ongoing injuries, which is why we call them “micro”, but they do create a pathway to acknowledge how White Americans have accumulated wealth and power at the expense of BIPOC communities, and begin to account for these harms for all of our sake. Too often, White communities understand success and wealth as what Heather McGhee describes as a “zero-sum game”—that is, in order to be secure and belong, someone else must be insecure and excluded. In reality, however, the persistence of discrimination and disparities across our country’s public and private sectors have exacted harms against all Americans, regardless of race. These losses are both material and moral—from deteriorating public services, unhealthy environments, and poor academic outcomes, to artificial resentment and fear, false divisions between individuals and communities with so much to share, and an ethical apathy that prevents us from realizing that our freedom turns on our responsibility. 

By investing in our Black and Brown neighbors, White and privileged Americans can take a step toward racial healing and reconciliation. Indeed, gaining freedom from our country’s racist past depends on taking collective responsibility for one another.

“Guilt is a luxury that we can no longer afford. I know you didn’t do it, and I didn’t do it either, but I am responsible for it because I am a man and a citizen of this country and you are responsible for it, for the very same reason.”

James Baldwin
American Novelist, Essayist, Playwright, Descendant of the Enslaved, and Voice for Racial Liberation