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The Many Faces of Reparations
White allies must make space for equity and inclusion
Companies and boardrooms across America are replete with white people, often white men, terrified of losing their seat at the table to a Black person or a gender minority. I’ve witnessed countless confessions affirming this notion in my work as a justice, equity, diversity and inclusion (JEDI) leader. A recent series of decisions by ESPN left a couple of reporters exposed when a hot mic and recorded video captured white fear of reparations for all to see.
Reparations come in many forms. My favorites include baby bonds, free education, jubilee, and community reinvestment. When people think of reparations, they jump to financial restitution — which is a big part of it. I’m appalled at the number of people who don’t support compensating the descendants of enslaved Africans for centuries of abuse and genocide — and the contemporary generational poverty and systemic racism that persist in their wake. People must understand that restitution for racism eventually means stepping aside and making room for those who have been left behind for millennia. Armchair activism and a pithy, colorful, virtue-signaling sign on your lawn won’t cut it.
ESPN is reeling from the racism in its ranks. Colleagues vying for choice assignments morphed into an extension of the…
