America, Run me my Money
Let’s talk about it. Get comfortable and take a deep breath. We are going to talk about the R word. Yes, Reparations. This summer, America reminded me and other Black people of our secondary place in this country. White people, some for the first time, were forced to take a step back, and realize that America is not as progressive a country as they once believed. Shackles of our past still shape our day-to-day lives. We need systematic change, and it starts with acknowledging payment is long overdue.
My Great-great grandma, known as Mumsie, was raised in an orphanage, run by Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, right outside the city of Philadelphia. My family has very few details about her life prior to her time at the orphanage. At the age of 18 she left the orphanage due to policy. Soon after she had my Great-grandma, whom I knew as Nana. Mumsie went on to have 7 more children, with Papa Daddy, who wasn’t my Great-grandma’s father but treated Nana as his own. Mumsie died when she was 102 or 104. Conflicting paperwork have made it difficult for the family to pinpoint an exact date of birth. My Great-grandma Nana became the first to graduate high school, however she did not attend her graduation ceremony because she didn’t have any shoes. She went on to have 5 girls, Barbara, Audrey, Beverly, Patricia, and Claudia. The legacy of Mumsie lives on in my grandma, Beverly, who is called Mumsie by family and friends. You may be wondering what this family anthology has to do with Reparations. For me, everything.
Before my Great-great grandma (the grandmother of my grandmother), Mumsie, we know very little about my mom's side of the family. As Americans, we relish in the idea that hard-work can elevate you in economic status. However the hard work put in by past members of my family rarely correlated to economic or professional success. My Grandma worked at Social Security for decades. She relays her experience of being overlooked for promotions. Even my Mom, the first college-graduate in our family who became an attorney has similar experiences. Now retired, my Mom worked for the state of Pennsylvania for over 30 years, and for the duration of her career, was one of a couple people of color at her level in the entire state.
About 15 years ago, my Mom was mistakenly sent another attorney's payment record. This person, who was a lower ranking attorney than my Mom, was paid more. When my Mom brought this to the attention of her bosses in Harrisburg, almost instantly they provided her with a raise. I think about what would have happened if she was never sent that information. I wonder how many other Black professionals are working at rates lower than their white counterparts. Studies have documented the frequent basis on which this occurs. The success recipe for Black people in America is tainted with spoiled ingredients. The American dream was built by Black Americans, yet rarely awarded with the fruits of our labor.
Black college graduates have the highest interest rates on college loans. Why? My degree would be no different if I was white.
Even after degree securement, a White man with a criminal history is more likely to get a call back from a job application than a Black man with no criminal record, and its the same application.. Why? If this wasn’t due to racial bias then the opposite would be true, however it is not.
Although I have an excellent credit score and educational success, I am still more likely to receive a higher interest rate on a mortgage loan than a White or Asian woman with no college education. Why? I wonder what about me makes me a liability to banks.
Instead of asking Why, I should be asking what can be done. Reparations! The American Dream was never designed for a person like me. Even after enslaved people were “freed” the government used exclusionary tactics to prevent the upward mobility of Black people. I want to check a box, or walk into a space and have the history of my ancestors acknowledged. Irrespective of anything else, checking the box next to Black/ African American should automatically come with benefits; what I consider my Reparations. I should be given lower interest rates on loans, and receive additional tax breaks every year to make whole the ways in which my family and ancestors have been forced to work and excluded from financial comfort. In addition, Black students should receive educational loan forgiveness upon completion of degrees and Black employees bonus’ and raises at accelerated rates. Now don’t get me wrong, I would GLADLY accept a lump sum of money, but I do believe that giving Black people priority and perks would lead to the dismantling of barriers put in place to exclude Black people.
If these benefits were rewarded to my Great-great grandma’s mother, how different would my family trajectory have been?
How would our society be if the descendants of all enslaved people were given benefits instead of drawbacks?
If you are white, and think, “Well, you can’t blame me for what my ancestors did!”, honey, yes we can, you are the descendants of privilege and we can blame you for still benefiting from your ancestors. Again, Reparations.