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Support Haitian relief.
In Haiti too, grassroots organizations run by or connected to those most impacted need support. The Centre Hospitalier de Fontaine, a hospital for underserved communities, is accepting direct donations (CHF). Locally Haiti is working to “funnel aid to in the most direct and efficient way to the local people and institutions” (Locally Haiti). The Ayiti Community Trust, run by Haitians and diaspora members, is providing resources to groups on the ground (ACT).
TAKE ACTION
Boost or donate to the Centre Hospitalier de Fontaine, Locally Haiti, and Ayiti Community Trust.
If people you know want to help Haiti by donating exclusively to large NGOs, help educate them about the reasons why many on the ground oppose their practices. Encourage them to contribute to locally-rooted organizations instead.
Support local mutual aid organizations creating resilience in the face of domestic disasters like Hurricane Katrina.
GET EDUCATED
By Andrew Lee (he/him)
An earthquake Saturday killed over 1,500 people and unhoused thousands more in Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas and only nation founded by the formerly enslaved (CNN, World Bank). Tennis star Naomi Osaka pledged prize money from an upcoming championship to relief efforts (Huffington Post). Communities are providing support through organizations from nonprofits to congregations (Local 10) .
But when prominent leaders promoted seemingly-credible organizations like the Red Cross, Save the Children, and UNICEF, former aid workers and Haitian citizens objected. “As a Haitian,” said one Twitter user, “Do Not Donate to these organizations” (MSN). Many of the organizations circulating online are entrusted with funds that do not reach the local communities in need.
After a 2011 earthquake, the American Red Cross received $500 million in donations. They planned to build 700 homes by 2013, and claimed by 2015 to have sheltered 130,000 Haitians (PBS). But according to ProPublica and NPR, four years after the earthquake, they had built just six houses across the entire country. According to the program director, “officials wanted to know which projects would generate the good publicity, not which projects would provide the most homes” (ProPublica). The project leaders were not Haitian and spoke neither French nor Haitian Creole. The non-Haitian manager of a failed project to build houses in the neighborhood of Campeche received $140,000 in compensation. The top local staff member received less than a third of that (ProPublica).
There’s a wide disparity in power between foreign nationals from wealthy countries who give humanitarian aid and its recipients. Save the Children covered up over fifty cases a year of staff child abuse (National News). Oxfam was accused of covering for its top staff in Haiti who illegally hired sex workers, some potentially underaged (BBC). Beyond abuse, the aid sector in Haiti is so large it deforms the national economy and democratic governance; the country is known as the Republic of NGOs (non-governmental organizations) (The Nation). “U.S food aid flooding the market has provided cheap food but driven many Haitian farmers off the land,” and as journalist Jonathan Katz says, “There was no way for Haitians to appeal an NGO decision, prosecute a bad soldier, or vote an unwanted USAID project out of a neighborhood… Two centuries of turmoil and foreign meddling had left a Haitian state so anemic it couldn’t even count how many citizens it had” (America Magazine). As one resident of Haiti said, “We cannot develop our country with international aid” (BBC).
This is not to say that every supporter or staff member of large charities are malicious or that they never get results. But the gulf in wealth and decision-making power between largely white-led aid organizations (The Guardian) and the people they’re supposed to help opens the door to mismanagement and abuse. This imbalance also appeared domestically during Hurricane Katrina relief. One county executive said Black residents were “treated like cattle” in relief centers (NBC News). Since it was donors and not residents who decided what was sent, there were “mismatches between the needs of victims and the supplies the Red Cross had lined up” like two truckloads of moldy cinnamon rolls and battery-operated radios without batteries (N.Y. Times).
It wasn’t the government or nonprofits who first entered New Orleans’ Lower 9th Ward with support. It was a local mutual aid organization founded by a former Black Panther. “People from the community asked us to be here, and the goal for this clinic is to transition from a first-aid emergency response to a functional community-controlled primary care clinic. In other words, this is for the community in the long run and not just we're a bunch of do-gooders,” said nurse and collective member Scott Weinstein (NPR).
In Haiti too, grassroots organizations run by or connected to those most impacted need support. The Centre Hospitalier de Fontaine, a hospital for underserved communities, is accepting direct donations (CHF). Locally Haiti is working to “funnel aid to in the most direct and efficient way to the local people and institutions” (Locally Haiti). The Ayiti Community Trust, run by Haitians and diaspora members, is providing resources to groups on the ground (ACT).
In the wake of such disasters, the most important thing is to support those affected. We can’t do that responsibly unless we recognize them — not as characters in a fundraising video but actual people, many of whom are telling us that international charities are unaccountable to Haitians, that their resources are not used responsibly, and even function as an unelected government run from London or Washington. When aid directed from wealth countries marginalizes “the Haitian state, Haitian social organizations and Haitian businesses,” we are looking not at disaster relief but disaster imperialism (The Nation). We need to pay attention to communities in dire needs to find out how to truly help.
Key Takeaways
Many people want to help Haitian earthquake survivors through large organizations like the Red Cross.
Such organizations are unaccountable to the people they serve. In Haiti, they comprise a de facto government while international food aid actually harms domestic agriculture.
There are also organizations which distribute resources to local communities and put decision-making power in the hands of those directly affected.
Decommodify housing.
Just because we’re all affected by the pandemic doesn’t mean that we’ve all been affected equally. Women accounted for all 140,000 jobs cut last December. Black and Latina women in particular lost jobs, since employment for white women actually rose that month (CNN). The data is clear: Black and Latina women were the worst-impacted by layoffs, white men the least (Bloomberg).
Happy Thursday and welcome back! Although the economy is improving as more people become vaccinated, more than 8 million American households are still behind on their rent (NPR). Housing is a human right, but access isn't distributed evenly. Today, Andrew outlines more about the housing crisis and efforts to keep people housed.
Are you under the age of 18? We want to hear from you. Take a moment to complete our anonymous survey on climate change.
This newsletter is a free resource and that's made possible by our paying subscribers. Consider giving $7/month on our website or Patreon. Or you can give one-time on our website or PayPal. You can also support us by joining our curated digital community. Thank you to all those that support!
Nicole
TAKE ACTION
Learn about racism in housing and how housing impacts the racial wealth gap.
Follow and support your local tenants union or community land trust.
Read about how tenant organizing is keeping renters in their homes.
Look into a community effort that stopped the eviction of a Black and indigenous family in Portland, OR.
Those fortunate enough to own property can donate it to a local land trust to ensure it remains affordable housing in perpetuity.
GET EDUCATED
By Andrew Lee (he/him)
Just because we’re all affected by the pandemic doesn’t mean that we’ve all been affected equally. Women accounted for all 140,000 jobs cut last December. Black and Latina women in particular lost jobs, since employment for white women actually rose that month (CNN). The data is clear: Black and Latina women were the worst-impacted by layoffs, white men the least (Bloomberg).
This inequality comes as the COVID recession takes a serious toll on renters and homeowners alike. In January, almost one in five tenants was behind on rent, with an average outstanding debt of $5,600 (CNBC). In 2020, 2 million households fell at least three months behind on their mortgage payments (Consumer Finance Protection Bureau). The nation’s renters are estimated to owe some $5 billion more than all the rental assistance in the American Rescue Plan and December stimulus combined (CNN).
This is important because housing inequality has long been a key way that American racial inequality reproduces itself. Before the 1968 Housing Rights Act, some white neighborhoods used racial covenants to legally exclude tenants or homeowners of color (Seattle Civil Rights & Labor History Project). The historic refusal of banks to extend credit to “redlined” minority neighborhoods is estimated to have cost Black families $212,000 in wealth (CBS).
These inequalities aren’t a thing of the past. The average white family in America has ten times the wealth of the average Black family. It’s a gap that’s larger today than it was at the beginning of the twentieth century (Brookings). The single largest contributing factor to household wealth? The value of housing (US Census).
Even before COVID, Black homeownership was declining in cities across the country (Urban Institute) and predominantly Black, brown, and immigrant communities were being gentrified out of competitive housing markets (Teen Vogue). Now, these communities with less wealth and housing equity face higher risks from recession lay-offs. As current eviction moratoriums expire, the expected wave of foreclosures and evictions could exacerbate existing racial and gender inequalities to a catastrophic degree.
There’s a chicken-and-the-egg problem here: if all housing is sold or rented to the higher buyer, those with less wealth could always have their home taken away. At the same time, this housing insecurity itself inhibits the creation of familial wealth, since homeownership (or housing stability) is one of the biggest ways families build wealth for the future.
Fortunately, community organizations across the country are working out a solution: decommodifying housing. To stop thinking of housing as a commodity means to stop thinking of houses or apartments primarily as things to be bought and sold and instead as, above all, homes.
One way to ensure homes are used for housing people ahead of generating profit is by supporting tenants unions. Renters facing unjust evictions or unacceptable living conditions can band together to push landlords to do the right thing. When disrepair at the Villas del Paseo apartment complex in Houston led to black mold, cockroaches, and weeks without running water, tenants organized and withheld rent payments to force their property management company to fix the problems (Texas Observer). Organizing collectively builds the power of those most likely to be exploited by landlords: low-income people of color (Tenants Together).
Another approach is decommodifying housing is by removing the land for housing from the private market altogether through community land trusts, or CLTs. Community land trusts are nonprofits that collectively own the land underneath residents’ homes. These residents can buy, sell, and build equity in their properties, but the CLT retains the title to the land (Center for Community Land Trust Innovation).
Because the land underneath dwellings remains in the land trust even as buildings are bought or sold, housing prices are insulated from real estate speculation, even in expensive housing markets. And all of the residents who live on CLT land are represented in the nonprofit’s board of directors, ensuring the land is stewarded democratically. In this way, CLTs ensure that community-controlled affordable housing can remain affordable in perpetuity (Oakland Community Land Trust).
Community land trusts now exist across the country (Schumacher Center). But they were first started in Georgia by members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committees to ensure Black tenant farmers wouldn’t be displaced from their land for participation in the civil rights movement (NPR). This history should remind us of the deep connection between racial and housing justice movements, a connection necessitated by long-standing racial inequities in access to secure housing.
As COVID has deepened many of these same inequalities, it’s time to take action to decommodify housing.
RELATED ISSUES
4/1/2021 | Protect the unhoused community.
7/20/2020 | Protect your community from the harm of gentrification.
7/8/2020 | Investigate school district funding disparities.
PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT
Thank you for all your financial contributions! If you haven't already, consider making a monthly donation to this work. These funds will help me operationalize this work for greatest impact.
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Redistribute your stimulus.
On March 11th, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan into law. Among its provisions was a $1400 stimulus which most of us have already received. This check was only the third direct federal payment to Americans since the beginning of the pandemic. With four in ten households reporting lost wages due to COVID (CBS) and millions of tenants thousands of dollars behind in rent (Time), those $1400 came not a moment too soon.
Happy Monday everyone, and welcome back to the Anti-Racism Daily! A couple people asked how they could pay their stimulus forward to those that are unhoused, based on the action items in that newsletter from last week. I realized that, although I posted some options on Instagram, that we never outlined the inequities on the stimulus distribution in full. Andrew joins us today to walk through the details.
If you don't have the funds to give right now, or if you're in need, bookmark the resources provided below. Redistributing capital – either by taking or receiving – is powerful not just now, but any day throughout the year.
This newsletter is a free resource and that's made possible by our paying subscribers. Consider giving $7/month on Patreon. Or you can give one-time on our website or PayPal. You can also support us by joining our curated digital community. Thank you to all those that support!
Nicole
TAKE ACTION
Follow the Share My Check campaign (#ShareMyCheck).
Support immigrants by promoting or donating to the UndocuBlack Network COVID-19 Fund, the Immigrant Worker Safety Net Fund, or Movimiento Cosecha.
Contribute to or promote Mutual Aid for People Impacted by Incarceration, the Incarcerated Trans & Gender Diverse Community Fund, the Emergency Prisoner & Family Relief Fund, or a local community bail fund to support incarcerated people who may not receive stimulus checks.
Use these steps to help the unhoused in your community get their stimulus checks.
Learn more about undocumented people creating mutual aid initiatives for community survival.
GET EDUCATED
By Andrew Lee (he/him)
On March 11th, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan into law. Among its provisions was a $1400 stimulus which most of us have already received. This check was only the third direct federal payment to Americans since the beginning of the pandemic. With four in ten households reporting lost wages due to COVID (CBS) and millions of tenants thousands of dollars behind in rent (Time), those $1400 came not a moment too soon.
For many, the sense of relief was palpable. Others found their feelings tinged with bitterness because Biden had declared in January that $2000, not $1400, stimulus checks were coming (CBS). After months of isolation and economic crisis, however, something was certainly better than nothing.
It’s important to remember here that nothing is precisely what millions of people living in the United States received. Though the $1400 stimulus payments were widely distributed, they were not universal. And those who missed out were those with the least resources and social power to begin with.
Only citizens or legal residents were eligible for the stimulus check. International students and teachers on J or Q visas did not qualify for the $1400 payment. Nonresident aliens who file taxes with an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number instead of a Social Security number did not qualify either (Forbes). Every undocumented immigrant working in this country missed out on the stimulus check, as well (Huffington Post). Though Biden campaigned on a promise to “welcome immigrants in our communities,” his American Rescue Plan consciously blocks millions of immigrants from receiving economic relief in a time of unprecedented hardship (Biden Harris).
Incarcerated people were technically eligible to receive the third stimulus check (CBS). But they faced a number of obstacles in actually receiving their rightful stimulus money. First, they had to acquire the forms to apply for the stimulus, which was impossible for inmates such as those in solitary confinement. In other cases, forms mailed to incarcerated people were seized by prison staff (Marshall Project). Finally, some people received stimulus payments – only to have part of the funds withheld by the prison in which they are incarcerated as supposed “payment” for imprisoning them. The United States has just 5% of the world’s population but locks up nearly 25% of its incarcerated people (ACLU). Many of them are effectively blocked from receiving their full stimulus check.
Even for unincarcerated people with Social Security numbers who ought to be receiving checks, not all stimulus payments are created equal. Weeks, after other people received their money, Social Security and Veterans Affairs benefit recipients were still waiting (Newsweek). And in a country where the average person is tens of thousands of dollars in debt, people with unpaid medical or credit card bills could have their stimulus checks garnished by debt collectors (CNBC).
The wide disparities among stimulus eligibility reflect deep divisions in American society. There are somewhere between 10.5 and 12 million undocumented people in the United States (Brookings) and 2.3 million people in prison (Prison Policy Initiative). Some undocumented people are not adults. Some people in prison may receive their full stimulus despite the hurdles place in their way, and it’s hard to say how many nonresident visa holders may have left the country in recent months. However, given these numbers, it’s not absurd to think that there might be 8 or 9 million people in this country who miss out on the stimulus payment purely because of their immigration status or incarceration. That’s roughly the population of New York City.
If each and every New Yorker missed out on a $1400 check the government sent to everyone else, we would all recognize the injustice of the situation. Incarcerated people and immigrants do not experience the pandemic and recession less than anyone else. On the contrary, prisons and jails are hotbeds for COVID-19 (CNN), and immigrants are more likely to be exposed to infection as essential workers (fwd.us).
Many Americans who received the stimulus check used it to pay outstanding debts or buy household necessities. About 19% were able to put most of it in savings (CNBC). Others looked into how they might invest their stimulus in stocks or financial instruments to reap future profit (The Motley Fool).
If you were one of the stimulus recipients with enough financial security to use it for savings or investment, consider donating that money in whole or in part to people who received no stimulus at all. By practicing mutual aid and demanding more for oppressed communities, we can not just fight against the inequities that have emerged with COVID but also work to create a society better than the one we had before the pandemic.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Millions of people in America missed out on their stimulus checks.
Though eligible, incarcerated people face severe obstacles to actually receiving their money.
Undocumented immigrants and many visa holders received nothing.
Those who missed out on stimulus checks included groups with some of the least social power and wealth to begin with.
Instead of saving or investing, people with resources who don’t need their stimulus checks can instead redistribute their money to those who received nothing.
RELATED ISSUES
11/9/2020 | Seek solidarity, not charity.
9/30/2020 | Close the racial wealth gap.
2/22/2021 | Advocate for reparations.
PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT
Thank you for all your financial contributions! If you haven't already, consider making a monthly donation to this work. These funds will help me operationalize this work for greatest impact.
Subscribe on Patreon | Give one-time on PayPal | Venmo @nicoleacardoza
Advocate for reparations.
Last Wednesday, February 17, Congress held a hearing on “H.R. 40: Exploring the Path to Reparative Justice in America.” The bill, referred to as H.R. 40, calls for Congress to create a commission to study the history of slavery in the U.S. from 1619 to 1865, and develop actionable steps to pay reparations. You can watch a recording of the entire hearing on PBS.
Happy Monday and welcome back to the Anti-Racism Daily. I was hoping to cover this issue last week on the day of the hearing, but I totally missed my own deadline with everything happening in Texas. It aligns well with Andrew’s article yesterday, which analyzed our relationship to reconciliation through history.
This newsletter is a free resource and that's made possible by our paying subscribers. Consider giving $7/month on Patreon. Or you can give one-time on our website or PayPal. You can also support us by joining our curated digital community. Thank you to all those that support!
Nicole
TAKE ACTION
Send a message to your members of Congress urging them to support H.R. 40.
Download and review the reparations toolkit from the Movement for Black Lives.
Research efforts for reparations in your state and local community. See how you can support, amplifying, or advocate as needed.
GET EDUCATED
By Nicole Cardoza (she/her)
Last Wednesday, February 17, Congress held a hearing on “H.R. 40: Exploring the Path to Reparative Justice in America.” The bill, referred to as H.R. 40, calls for Congress to create a commission to study the history of slavery in the U.S. from 1619 to 1865, and develop actionable steps to pay reparations. You can watch a recording of the entire hearing on PBS.
This is a marked point of progress on the long road to receiving federal reparations for Black people. In 1898, The National Ex-Slave Mutual Relief Bounty and Pension Association had 600,000 members – all of who organized to obtain compensation for slavery from federal agencies. During the 1920s, Marcus Garvey organized hundreds of thousands of Black people to demand reparations. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr advocated for reparations as part of his book “Why We Can’t Wait” in 1964. The Black Panther Party called for reparations as part of their ten-point program.
In fact, in her 2019 public lecture at Columbia Journal of Race and Law, activist, attorney, and scholar Nkechi Taifa emphasizes that, since the end of slavery, “there's been no substantial period of time where the call for redress has been neglected.” Read her full speech via Columbia and more examples of reparations through history via ACLU.
But in 1988, Congress passed legislation paying reparations to Japanese Americans that were descendants of those held in detention camps, along with funding dedicated to educating the history of Japanese internment and a pardon for all those convicted of resisting arrest. This action created a framework for approaching reparations for Black people in the political sphere. As a result, the H.R. 40 bill was introduced a year later, led by the late Representative John Conyers (MI). It’s named after “40 acres and a mule,” referencing the broken promise of 1845 to redistribute land to formerly enslaved people (learn more in a previous newsletter).
The House and the Senate issued apologies to Black Americans for the impact of slavery and Jim Crow back in 2008 and 2009 (NPR), a hollow gesture without joint accountability or reparations for the harm. (They also apologized for the harm that happened “to Native Peoples” during this time). But otherwise, there’s been no significant progress on behalf of the federal government.
Despite this, public perception of reparations is rapidly shifting. Ta-Nehisi Coates’ article, The Case for Reparations, brought reparations to the front-page in 2014 (The Atlantic). And racial reckoning of this year alone has swiftly shifted sentiment in favor of passing reparations. Reparations have been a persistent demand from major Black-led organizing groups. And last summer, the Human Rights Watch, along with dozens of other organizations, sent a letter to Congress urging the review and passing of H.R. 40 (Human Rights Watch).
Representative Shelia Jackson Lee (TX) took on this work after the passing of Rep. Conyers. She reintroduced the latest version of H.R. 40 on January 4, 2021. This pivotal step got buried in the news; two days later, white supremacists stormed the Capitol building – resulting in another slew of calls for accountability. It’s difficult to imagine what more is needed to make this case a national priority.
“
Reparations is repairing or restoring. It’s a formal acknowledgment and apology, recognition that the injury continues, commitment to redress and actual compensation.”
Nkechi Taifa, told to Donna M. Owens for NBC News
Proponents of the bill believe that this year, H.R. 40 has a chance. It’s likely the bill will pass the House but may falter in the Senate. But they hope that President Biden will step in, enacting this work as an executive order if Congress votes against it. The press secretary at the White House confirmed that Biden supports a study on reparations but didn’t explicitly note how he’d respond to the bill (Newsweek).
In the interim, we can also turn to state and local governments to pursue reparations in their communities. Over the past two years, in particular, states and cities have increased efforts to pay reparations for Black people and other people of color (Pew Trust). For example, Maryland has launched its own commission to consider financial commitments like free college tuition at Maryland schools, low home mortgages, and business loans without collateral (NBC).
It’s important to remember that conditions only worsen each day the government fails to act on reparations. A recent study found that reparation payments could have reduced the transmission and fatality of COVID-19 across the U.S. Researchers from Harvard Medical School and the Lancet Commission on Reparations and Redistributive Justice analyzed data in Lousiana and found that payments could have reduced between 31% to 68% of coronavirus transmissions (Social Science and Medicine). As of this past weekend, over 500,000 people in the U.S. have died from COVID-19 in less than a year. This is more than the number of U.S. soldiers that died in both WWI and WWII (NBC News).
The best time to demand reparations was yesterday. The second-best time is right now. We must hold our leaders accountable for a legacy of harm to protect our communities today.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Last week there was a Congressional heraing on H.R. 40, a bill that calls for the government to create a commission to study the history of slavery in the U.S. and pay reparations.
Social sentiment on reparations is changing swiftly, particularly due to the racial reckoning of the past year
The work to federally recognize reparations for Black people has been happening for decades by politicians and organizers alike
RELATED ISSUES
PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT
Thank you for all your financial contributions! If you haven't already, consider making a monthly donation to this work. These funds will help me operationalize this work for greatest impact.
Subscribe on Patreon | Give one-time on PayPal | Venmo @nicoleacardoza
Learn about Harriet Tubman on the $20.
From wading in the water to following the drinking gourd towards the North Star, Harriet Tubman, an abolitionist, scout and spy for union soldiers in South Carolina, and conductor of the Underground Railroad, was “Bound for the Promised Land.” She fought for her own emancipation and led many enslaved people to freedom. More than a century later, Tubman still is making her mark and is set to grace the face of the twenty dollar bill, an Obama-era initiative, as soon as 2028. But fans of the renowned political activist have differing views about the banknote’s new design. While some people are excited to see this freedom fighter acknowledged on the front of the bill, others say that it goes against the very thing she fought for—liberation from the capitalistic system that slavery was built on. The fact that Andrew Jackson, an oppressor of enslaved people, still will be placed on the back of the $20 bill—some say—is utterly disrespectful (Time). But, what would Tubman think?
Happy Friday and welcome back to the Anti-Racism Daily. This week we've written frequently about issues related to the economy. I feel that the conversation about Harriet Tubman being featured on the $20 bill is an interesting lens to the role of money in our lives.
Thank you all for your contributions! This newsletter is made possible by our subscribers. Consider giving $7/month on Patreon. Or you can give one-time on our website or PayPal. You can also support us by joining our curated digital community.
Nicole
TAKE ACTION
Learn more about the legacy of Harriet Tubman through books and documentaries (Smithsonian).
Get educated about how slavery helped build a world economy (National Geographic).
Get involved in the conversation and state your opinion about the redesign of the twenty dollar bill that is set to be released as soon as 2028.
GET EDUCATED
By Kashea McCowan (she/her)
From wading in the water to following the drinking gourd towards the North Star, Harriet Tubman, an abolitionist, scout and spy for union soldiers in South Carolina, and conductor of the Underground Railroad, was “Bound for the Promised Land.” She fought for her own emancipation and led many enslaved people to freedom. More than a century later, Tubman still is making her mark and is set to grace the face of the twenty dollar bill, an Obama-era initiative, as soon as 2028. But fans of the renowned political activist have differing views about the banknote’s new design. While some people are excited to see this freedom fighter acknowledged on the front of the bill, others say that it goes against the very thing she fought for—liberation from the capitalistic system that slavery was built on. The fact that Andrew Jackson, an oppressor of enslaved people, still will be placed on the back of the $20 bill—some say—is utterly disrespectful (Time). But, what would Tubman think?
We will never know Tubman’s thoughts on the matter, but those stemming from her family tree—her descendants—are looking forward to seeing their Aunt Harriet printed on the front of the bill. As efforts for the release of the banknote accelerates, Rita Daniels, Tubman’s great-great-great niece and her ninety-three-year-old aunt, Pauline Copes Johnson, Tubman’s oldest surviving relative, are proposing to build a learning center in her name in Bridgeport. The Connecticut city is significant because it was one of the main stopping points for Tubman on the Underground Railroad (Cheddar). Family members like Ernestine “Tina” Martin Wyatt, Tubman’s great-great-great grandniece and her daughter, Lauren Jillian Wyatt, honor their Aunt Harriet’s past and retell stories told to them about the great warrior and steadfast, freedom fighter. The Wyatts believe that new efforts to remember Tubman’s legacy are vital.
“She was a leader who has earned the right to be on the bill,” says Tina. “We have to remember when this country was formed, it was done so within a racially segregated, male-dominated society. Women were not allowed any titled or lead roles or consideration; black women were not even thought of.” (Glamour)
Though Tubman’s family is grateful for the recognition of their beloved relative, many historians are diving deeper into the history of Tubman’s past, what she fought for, and the irony of it all.
Harriet Tubman, also known as Araminta Ross, was born in Dorchester, Maryland around the early 1820s in a capitalistic system that profited off of free human labor. It is this same system that prompted her rebellion in 1849, as she was beaten, whipped, and abused to the point that caused her to suffer from a traumatic brain injury that resulted in dizzying spells, seizures, severe headaches, and unconscious episodes.
Like grain and wheat or gold and silver, enslaved people were seen as a commodity and were bought and sold like home goods. Their price tags were determined by their age, strength, ability to work, and health. If there were any injuries or handicaps determined to lower their value, they immediately were sold or traded to the highest bidder. Tubman’s injuries—although caused by her kidnapper—put her at a major risk of being sold off away from her family, and the thought of someone having that much power over her life sparked a rebellion in her.
Along with her two brothers, Ben and Henry, Tubman ran away on September 17, 1849. Their overseer at the time issued a runaway notice in the Cambridge Democrat, a Maryland newspaper, offering a reward of a mere hundred dollars for each returned enslaved person. After being a part of the population revered as a common good, Tubman decided to have faith in her hunches, and she built up the courage to escape from the slave auction blocks that constantly traded its currency for her liberty.
“Harriet Tubman did not fight for capitalism, free trade, or competitive markets. She repeatedly put herself in the line of fire to free people who were treated as currency themselves. She risked her life to ensure that enslaved Black people would know they were worth more than the blood money that exchanged hands to buy and sell them. I do not believe Tubman, who died impoverished in 1913, would accept the “honor,” writer Feminista Jones wrote in the essay “Keep Harriet Tubman—and all women—off the $20 bill.”
Zoe Samudzi, a feminist writer in Oakland, told The Post that she is mulling over the irony that a Black woman who was bought and sold is being commemorated on the $20 bill without [The Treasury] also taking steps for economic recompense for Black folks who are descendants of enslaved peoples. Though there are many others who anger at the blatant irony of the new design idea, there also are people like Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, a professor of history and African American studies at Harvard University, and Clara Small, a retired history professor at Salisbury University, who are in full support of the $20 bill initiative (The Washington Post). Small says she hopes the addition of Tubman to the $20 bill is a sign of progress, something the freedom fighter likely would approve. This gives hope that maybe women will be accepted as equals; as a president she says.
“Money is a powerful means of communication. It is a part of our national identity and can help to remind us of our common purpose. Our money should not only reflect our country’s origins, but also who we have become over the past 250 years—as well as who we aspire to be,” says Ellen Fiengold, writer of the article “A Harriet Tubman $20? That’s just the Beginning.”
If the legacy of people such as George Washington, who enslaved more than a hundred people when he died, and Andrew Jackson deserve a place on our currency, then surely activists such as Harriet Tubman who represents freedom, fearlessness, and heart deserve the same honor and much more.
The United States is supposed to be the land of the free. And today, we still see the restlessness of the differences in race creep up in our daily lives. Some may see it as disrespectful to paint Tubman’s face on the twenty dollar bill, but it is more disrespectful not to acknowledge her efforts at all—a woman who fought so hard for the liberty of enslaved Black people. And though capitalism is a foul system, her face will be a daily reminder of where we came from and where we are going. Her legacy, literally, will be passed along hand to hand for generations to come. And it is in honoring and looking up to revolutionaries and risk-takers like her that perhaps will help us paint the world in vivid color rather than the blacks and whites of old.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Harriet Tubman fought for her own emancipation and led more than seventy people to freedom.
Fans of the renowned political activist have differing views about the banknote’s new design. Some people are excited to see this freedom fighter acknowledged on the front of the bill while others say that it is utterly disrespectful.
Our money should not only reflect our country’s origins, but also who we have become over the past 250 years—as well as who we aspire to be.
Her face will be a daily reminder of where we came from and where we are going.
RELATED ISSUES
10/9/2020 | Learn about slavery and the White House.
9/21/2020 | Support the 1619 Project.
6/18/2020 | Take down Confederate symbols.
PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT
Thank you for all your financial contributions! If you haven't already, consider making a monthly donation to this work. These funds will help me operationalize this work for greatest impact.
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Pay Black women.
“Black women saved us.” That’s a slogan of ill-advised praise that white people deliver for Black women whenever a horrorshow candidate loses an election. We heard it in 2017 when 98% of Black women helped to defeat Roy Moore’s Alabama senatorial ambitions, and it’s happening again with the most recent presidential election, during which 91% of Black women cast their votes for Joe Biden (USA Today, Yahoo News).
It's Friday. Welcome back. How are you holding up? I'm still trying to take it easy.
In the midst of the domestic terrorist attack on Wednesday, both Democratic candidates defeated their Republican opponents in Tuesday’s runoff elections in Georgia, giving Democrats control of the Senate (NYTimes). This success was in no small part because of Stacey Abrams and other Black women organizers. Social media users were quick to share their gratitude, but those well-wishes need to turn into conscious efforts in our communities every day. Black women deserve to be elevated, compensated, and protected, regardless of what's happening. I feel this point got lost (naturally) in the chaos at the Capitol. Juan's article (written before the events of this week) dives deeper.
Tomorrow we resume Study Hall, our weekly email where I answer questions and share insights from the community. We haven't hosted one of these since late last year, so feel free to reference any of the year-in-review emails or other content from before break. You can also switch your subscription to a weekly digest, which means you'll only get the Study Hall email. Our virtual digital community is also a great space to learn more with like-minded peers.
Lastly, our work is made possible by our paid subscribers. You can financially contribute to sustain our work by making a one-time gift on our website or PayPal or subscribe for $7/month on Patreon. Thank you all for your support!
Nicole
TAKE ACTION
Hire Black women and pay them as much as you would a white man for the assigned work.
Find a Black women creator that inspires you and support their work financially if you can. Also, share their work with others.
Promote Black women in your company, contract with Black women-owned businesses (such as these 81 entrepreneurs and brands), and support those same businesses when making purchases in your personal life.
Study intersectionality and participate in anti-racism, gender inclusion, and unconscious bias training.
GET EDUCATED
By Juan Michael Porter II (he/him)
“Black women saved us.” That’s a slogan of ill-advised praise that white people deliver for Black women whenever a horrorshow candidate loses an election. We heard it in 2017 when 98% of Black women helped to defeat Roy Moore’s Alabama senatorial ambitions, and it’s happening again with the most recent presidential election, during which 91% of Black women cast their votes for Joe Biden (USA Today, Yahoo News).
Beyond its inherent condescension, the statement perpetuates a dangerous narrative that Black women are magical mammies—obsessed with protecting their misguided white charges from themselves, at the expense of their own agency (HuffPost). Dulce Sloan, a correspondent for The Daily Show, said it best when she quipped, "you’re welcome, white people. But let’s be honest, we didn’t do it for you, we did it for ourselves” (Independent).
To be clear, Black women aren’t here to save the world out of altruism; they are working to protect themselves and their own families (Boston Globe). And yet, the “Strong Black Women” trope—which praises the group for serving as the Democratic Party’s most reliable bloc—persists, even as Black women are chronically denied financial opportunities (Essence, Refinery). Hard data reveals that Black women are underpaid nationally, receiving 62 cents on average for every dollar that a non-Hispanic white man is paid. Meanwhile, 80% of Black mothers are the sole or primary breadwinners in their families (Forbes, Atlantic).
A lack of financial investment has historically haunted Black women across every facet of life. Until 1988, women as a whole could not secure business loans without a male co-signer (Forbes). Meanwhile, only 0.5% of Paycheck Protection Program loans went to Black woman-owned businesses (Accountable, Entrepreneur). The tacit understanding is that Black women don’t deserve money and should be grateful to serve for free.
That’s what the Grammy’s confirmed when they asked Tiffany Haddish to host its pre-telecast ceremony without payment while covering her own expenses, including hair, makeup, travel, and accommodations (Variety). Haddish declined. The Grammy’s CEO ultimately apologized after the incident was made public, explaining that a talent booker had a "lapse in judgment” (Hollywood Reporter).
It is unimaginable that a similar lapse in judgment would have been extended towards Jim Carrey, Tom Cruise, or even the far less famous Russell Brand for hosting a three hour internationally covered event. While acknowledging that hosting would have given her “amazing” exposure, Haddish stated, “I don’t know if this might mean I might not get nominated ever again, but I think it’s disrespectful.”
British actress Kelechi Okafor agreed with a pointed message that rejected the fallacy that Black women should “be grateful” for exposure, particularly because they’ve already been forced to do free labor for over 400 years (Instagram). It’s the right response, but one that few Black women are free to make without facing severe repercussions.
Whether or not Haddish loses out on future nominations for her comedy albums, financially, she will be fine. But most Black women, when faced with this conundrum—such as consistently being asked to do more work than their white colleagues—feel forced to comply. This includes performing “work that’s important but undervalued” and without additional compensation (Harvard Business Review).
Though white women also face discrimination at work, Black women are subjected to "double jeopardies" due to the intersection of gender and race, which keeps them locked in lower positions (Semantic Scholar). And when consulting is involved, Black women are asked to offer their hard-won and unique expertise for free (Guardian). This plays out even now during a pandemic where Black women are at the forefront of essential work, at the risk of their own lives, but without the necessary remuneration to escape poverty, even though they continue to face the most severe financial losses (CNBC, CNN).
While speaking at a Red Door Foundation plenary on longevity in June 2019, trans activist Tori Cooper told the audience a story about being flown to New York to speak with the Ford Foundation about improving their outreach. During that talk, she confronted the room full of white men with the fact that she was not being paid. “All of you are being paid to listen to me speak,” she said, “and I deserve the same money because I have something that you need; that only I can say.”
The same is true for Black women everywhere. The struggle to uplift Black women in a capitalistic society cannot work if it does not include a viable financial argument. Here is one: rather than ask them to be grateful for the honor of participating, hire Black women and “don’t blame the pipeline.
As Nicole Cardoza wrote last year, despite the incredible educational gains that Black professionals have steadily made since 1980, unconscious bias discriminates against nonwhite people for their every difference, while arguing that they are unqualified or “do not fit the culture” (Anti-Racism Daily, Raconteur, HuffPost, Fortune). In addition to enshrining whiteness, this rationale ignores the benefits of greater racial diversity, which has been proven to make companies more money (Market Watch).
When hiring Black women, it is essential to pay them more because, by default, they are paid less. Companies can perform a compensation audit, be transparent about pay, raise the minimum wage, commit to equal pay, and eschew salary histories—which perpetuates the practice of underpaying Black women (American Progress).
If we are serious about eliminating racism in this country, redressing the history of devaluing Black women is critical. Otherwise, we will perpetuate the centuries-long practice of praising Black women while ignoring their needs and repressing their potential progress.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
On a national average, Black women are paid 62 cents for every dollar that a non-Hispanic white man is paid.
Black women face double jeopardies over gender and race.
Black women are consistently asked to do more work than their white colleagues without additional compensation.
Greater racial diversity at workplaces is proven to earn companies greater revenue.
PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT
Thank you for all your financial contributions! If you haven't already, consider making a monthly donation to this work. These funds will help me operationalize this work for greatest impact.
Subscribe on Patreon | Give one-time on PayPal | Venmo @nicoleacardoza
Support Black-owned businesses: Bookstores
Each Friday for the rest of the year, we’ll be featuring Black-owned businesses to support this holiday season. Today, we’re centering books written by people of color that you can order from Black-owned bookstores from across the U.S. We always recommend supporting a local business near you before using this list, so these are just suggestions! Read why supporting Black-owned businesses is so critical, especially with the economic challenges we're experiencing. Key takeaways in today's newsletter reference some of these stats.
Happy BLACK Friday!
Each Friday for the rest of the year, we’ll be featuring Black-owned businesses to support this holiday season. Today, we’re centering books written by people of color that you can order from Black-owned bookstores from across the U.S. We always recommend supporting a local business near you before using this list, so these are just suggestions! Read why supporting Black-owned businesses is so critical, especially with the economic challenges we're experiencing. Key takeaways in today's newsletter reference some of these stats.
This list is designed around the recommendations we centered in last week’s newsletter on diversifying your bookshelf. Let me know if you get one of these book!
Thank you to everyone that makes this newsletter possible! Support our work by making a one-time contribution on our website or PayPal, or giving monthly on Patreon. You can also Venmo (@nicoleacardoza). To subscribe, go to antiracismdaily.com. You can share this newsletter and unlock some fun rewards by signing up here. I'm grateful for each one of you that's with me on this journey.
Nicole
TAKE ACTION
Commit to buying one gift this holiday season (for yourself or others) from a Black-owned business
Identify something you're looking to purchase before the end of the year, and search for three Black-owned alternatives
GET EDUCATED
By Nicole Cardoza (she/her)
Matter
Denver, CO
Find books, stationery, home goods and other curated gifts from independent, Black & woman-owned retail space for designers, activists & other thinking persons.
Elatsoe
Darcie Little Badger
$19
Elatsoe lives in this slightly stranger America. She can raise the ghosts of dead animals, a skill passed down through generations of her Lipan Apache family. The picture-perfect facade of Willowbee masks gruesome secrets, and she will rely on her wits, skills, and friends to tear off the mask and protect her family. Illustrated by Rovina Cai.
SHOP >
Last Stop on Market Street
Matt de la Peña
$19 "This energetic ride through a bustling city highlights the wonderful perspective only grandparent and grandchild can share, and comes to life through Matt de la Peña’s vibrant text and Christian Robinson’s radiant illustrations.
SHOP >
Elizabeth's Bookshop & Writing Centre
Denver, CO
Elizabeth's Bookshop & Writing Centre is an innovative literacy center based in Akron, OH. Their catalog highlights the work of writers who are often excluded from traditional cultural, social and academic canons. This was created by Rachel Cargle, a renowned academic and educator whose work we feature frequently in this newsletter. A percentage of all sales go to The Loveland Foundation to support their mission of making mental healthcare accessible for Black women and girls.
Here The Whole Time
Vitor Martins
$17.47
"The charm and humor of To All the Boys I've Loved Before meets Dumplin' in this body-positive YA love story between two boys who must spend 15 days living with each other over school break."
SHOP >
With the Fire on High
Elizabeth Acevedo
$17
"Ever since she got pregnant freshman year, Emoni Santiago's life has been about making the tough decisions--doing what has to be done for her daughter and her abuela. The one place she can let all that go is in the kitchen, where she adds a little something magical to everything she cooks, turning her food into straight-up goodness."
SHOP >
People Get Ready
New Haven, CT
People Get Ready is a neighborhood bookspace that is grounded in respect for the dignity of all beings, the importance of reciprocal relations, and the transformative power of radical love.
King and the Dragonflies
Kacen Callender
$18 "In a small but turbulent Louisiana town, one boy's grief takes him beyond the bayous of his backyard, to learn that there is no right way to be yourself."
SHOP >
The Vanishing Half
Brit Bennett
$27
"From The New York Times-bestselling author of The Mothers, a stunning new novel about twin sisters, inseparable as children, who ultimately choose to live in two very different worlds, one black and one white."
SHOP >
Black Garnet Books
Twin Cities, MN
Black Garnet Books is a Black, woman-owned bookstore located in the Twin Cities, Minnesota, primarily stocking Adult and YA contemporary literature by Black and racially-diverse authors.
Transcendent Kingdom [Audiobook]
Yaa Gyasi
$28
"Yaa Gyasi's stunning follow-up to her acclaimed national best seller Homegoing is a powerful, raw, intimate, deeply layered novel about a Ghanaian family in Alabama. Narrated by Bahni Turpin."
SHOP >
Leave The World Behind
Rumaan Alam
$24.14
"A magnetic novel about two families, strangers to each other, who are forced together on a long weekend gone terribly wrong."
SHOP >
The Lit. Bar
Bronx, NY
“Once upon a time, a girl from the Bronx had big dreams of opening an independent bookstore/wine bar right here at home. It would be the only indie bookstore in the entire borough–home to 1.4 million people and 10 colleges and it would be called The Lit. Bar…”
God-Level Knowledge Darts: Life Lessons from the Bronx
Desus & Mero
$24
Desus Nice and The Kid Mero are multitalented comedians, writers, and podcasters who currently co-host Showtime's first-ever late-night talk show, Desus & Mero, as well as the long-running Bodega Boys podcast. Their book reflects on their life experiences.
SHOP >
Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot
Mikki Kendall
$23.92
"A potent and electrifying critique of today's feminist movement announcing a fresh new voice in Black feminism."
SHOP >
KEY TAKEAWAYS
A recent report published by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that “the number of African-American business owners plummeted from 1.1 million in February 2020 to 640,000 in April," a 41% decrease.
Black people are twice as likely to be turned down for business loans than their White counterparts.
Although Black people account for 15% of the population, there are few Black-owned brands carried by major retailers.
RELATED ISSUES
6/11/2020 | Support black-owned businesses.
9/30/2020 | Close the racial wealth gap.
PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT
Thank you for all your financial contributions! If you haven't already, consider making a monthly donation to this work. These funds will help me operationalize this work for greatest impact.
Subscribe on Patreon | Give one-time on PayPal | Venmo @nicoleacardoza
Cancel student debt.
Conversations on student loan forgiveness sparked again Monday when President-elect Joe Biden mentioned he has plans to cancel student debt when he takes office (NYTimes). During a Q&A post-speech, Biden acknowledged how many people struggle with student loans’ burden but didn’t give specifics on his political agenda. Hopeful citizens are referencing an interview where Senator Chuck Schumer, the Democratic minority leader, stated that Biden could cancel $50,000 in student loan debt in his first 100 days (The Ink).
This topic hits home for me, as I just paid off the last of my student loans after struggling with defaults and delinquencies. It’s heartbreaking to feel policed for trying to get a good education, but that’s part of the system we live in. Today we’re looking at the opportunities that cancel student debt can have on the immediate future and generations to come.
This is the Anti-Racism Daily, a daily newsletter with tangible ways to dismantle racism and white supremacy. You can support our work by making a one-time contribution on ourwebsiteorPayPal, or giving monthly onPatreon. You can also Venmo (@nicoleacardoza). To subscribe, go to antiracismdaily.com.
Nicole
TAKE ACTION
Tell Congress to cancel student debt and stimulate the economy.
Donate to the #BuyBackBlackDebt initiative, a way to help Black people pay off debt, started by Sonya Renee Taylor.
GET EDUCATED
By Nicole Cardoza (she/her)
Conversations on student loan forgiveness sparked again Monday when President-elect Joe Biden mentioned he has plans to cancel student debt when he takes office (NYTimes). During a Q&A post-speech, Biden acknowledged how many people struggle with student loans’ burden but didn’t give specifics on his political agenda. Hopeful citizens are referencing an interview where Senator Chuck Schumer, the Democratic minority leader, stated that Biden could cancel $50,000 in student loan debt in his first 100 days (The Ink).
Although there’s likely a lot of stipulations on the exact number and no promises, it’s no surprise that many people are excited. There’s a record number of 45 million borrowers who collectively owe nearly $1.6 trillion in student loan debt in the U.S. (Forbes). Before COVID-19, one in five federal student loan accounts were in default (Pew Trust). And although many student loan accounts are in forbearance until December 31, there’s no indication that an extension will be granted by the current administration (Washington Post).
And the burden of student debt isn’t equally distributed. Student loans weigh more heavily, on average, on communities of color. According to a 2016 analysis, over 90% of African American and 72% of Latino students take out loans to attend college compared to 66% of white students. Asian-American students who need to borrow more than $30,000 may be more likely to rely on private student loans that offer fewer consumer protections for borrowers (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau). Payback is also an issue: borrowers that identify as white pay down almost 95% of their loans 20 years after starting college. But their Black peers will still owe 95% of their original balance after the same period. Within six years of beginning college, one-third of all Black or African American borrowers who had entered repayment defaulted on their loans, compared to just 13 percent of their white peers (American Progress).
Under-regulated loan servicing makes it more difficult for anyone to pay back student loans, making it easier for people to fall into debt than a basic credit card or mortgage (CNBC). But we can’t blame this disparity on student loans alone. Like many that we cover in our newsletter, this issue is exacerbated by the myriad of systemic inequities that impact communities of color: the wealth gap between white and non-white communities, employment discrimination, and the challenges students of color face to receive scholarships. We also have to account that tuition costs are steadily rising, outpacing the average family income (CNBC).
And consequently, student loans also contribute to the same inequities, fueling a never-ending cycle. About 13%- 23% of the wealth gap between Black and white Americans is attributed to student loan debt. Because white people with student loan debt can statistically pay it off more quickly, they can start saving and spending while communities of color are still paying down debt (EdTrust). Plus, defaulting on a student loan payment can ruin credit scores and make future financial decisions more difficult, only exacerbating the difference.
I don’t want to speculate for everyone how their lives would be different if they didn’t have student loans. But for me, it would’ve been transformative. I paid $800 – $1000/mo to pay down student loan debt and defaulted multiple times while juggling several jobs and a meager salary after college. It prevented me from getting an apartment and often forced me to overdraft my bank account to keep up. Until I paid them off, I couldn’t fathom having my own space or even considering having children of my own. And I felt the constant shame of not making enough or doing enough to pay it down. While also feeling so grateful and lucky to be the first kid in my family to graduate with a degree. Now that I don’t have that burden, I feel like I can actually invest – financially and emotionally – into the future I want.
And there’s a similar sentiment among other people, and economists, too. Many believe it can boost our GPD, rally the housing market, and bolster entrepreneurship (NPR). Others center student loan debt as a reproductive rights issue, noting that more people would feel more empowered to start families without this looming debt. Of course, there’s also challenges, too – who will pay for this broad deficit, and how could it impact taxes in the future (NPR). But amid a global pandemic and a grim economic forecast, others believe this could be the infusion of capital our country needs.
You could argue that if I had waited (instead of reshuffling my debt payments because of COVID-19 so I could drive down this debt), my student loans could have been forgiven next year. But I don’t regret paying them off for a single second. I think I breathe easier each moment. And that is a gift I’d grant to anyone and everyone I can, as soon as possible, without an ounce of hesitation.
Canceling student debt needs to be the start of a broader conversation – on reforming higher education, creating more tuition-free public colleges, and disrupting the notion that college is the only path to success. But it’s a start, one that can be implemented quickly, make an immediate economic impact, and reverberate for generations to come.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Student loan is disproportionately impacting communities of color
Not only does systemic racism cause differences in student loan debt burdens, it contributes to the same issues
Canceling student debt offers more than financial ease, but a way to boost the economy in the short and long term
RELATED ISSUES
9/30/2020 | Close the racial wealth gap.
6/11/2020 | Support black-owned businesses.
8/20/2020 | Support affirmative action in schools.
PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT
Thank you for all your financial contributions! If you haven't already, consider making a monthly donation to this work. These funds will help me operationalize this work for greatest impact.
Subscribe on Patreon | Give one-time on PayPal | Venmo @nicoleacardoza
Seek solidarity, not charity.
Throughout 2020, more of us have heard about mutual aid than ever before. After COVID-19 started affecting people’s livelihoods, mutual aid networks popped up like never before—with new networks likely in the thousands (Sustainable Economies Law Center). The uprisings after George Floyd’s death also accelerated mutual aid; groups quickly came together to feed protesters (Eater), post bail (Chicago Community Bond Fund), and provide support in many other ways.
But the concept of mutual aid is much more deeply rooted than the simple act of Venmo-ing $15 to a stranger on Twitter.
Happy Tuesday and welcome back to the Anti-Racism Daily. Our email from last week on billionaire philanthropy was a hot topic; many of us were inspired to reflect more on how giving can skew our perception of change. Today, Jami is back with a broader look at charity and how it can help fuel inequitable systems.
This is the Anti-Racism Daily. We send one email each day with tangible ways to dismantle white supremacy. You can support our work by giving one time on our website, PayPal or Venmo (@nicoleacardoza). You can also give monthly or annually on Patreon. If this email was forwarded to you, you could subscribe at antiracismdaily.com.
ps – the early bird readers received an email yesterday with some major typos. I think I sent a draft, not the final email by accident. A revised version was sent later and updated on our website. My apologies!
Nicole
TAKE ACTION
Get involved in the existing mutual aid networks in your area. Scroll down to the exhaustive, state-by-state list of resources at Mutual Aid Disaster Relief, or simply Google “ your city+mutual aid.” (Many of these networks appreciate non-financial support as well!)
Evaluate what kinds of groups, organizations, or people you’ve given money to in the past. How did you evaluate whom to give to? Has the white savior complex infected your giving philosophy?
Research the organizations you support. How do they stack up against Dean Spade’s chart on mutual aid vs. hierarchical charitable programs?
GET EDUCATED
By Nicole Cardoza (she/her)
Throughout 2020, more of us have heard about mutual aid than ever before. After COVID-19 started affecting people’s livelihoods, mutual aid networks popped up like never before—with new networks likely in the thousands (Sustainable Economies Law Center). The uprisings after George Floyd’s death also accelerated mutual aid; groups quickly came together to feed protesters (Eater), post bail (Chicago Community Bond Fund), and provide support in many other ways.
But the concept of mutual aid is much more deeply rooted than the simple act of Venmo-ing $15 to a stranger on Twitter.
“Mutual aid consists of the collective actions it takes to support community wellbeing and reaffirm that all lives have inherent value. We all have needs and we are all capable of helping each other to fulfill some of these needs. This approach is distinctively egalitarian and rooted in reciprocity and agency.”
"What is Mutual Aid? A Primer" by the Climate Justice Alliance.
One of the core tenets of mutual aid is the idea of solidarity, not charity. Solidarity involves collectively working together to solve the root causes of structural inequity, as trans activist and scholar Dean Spade outlines in a chart comparing mutual aid to nonprofits (DeanSpade.net).
Meanwhile, the charity philosophy possesses an “inherent imbalance; it moves resources from places of abundance to places deemed as needy, a deficit-based perspective instead of one based on the values and abundance already present within communities” (Climate Justice Alliance).
The concept of mutual aid (if not the specific term itself) has been practiced for generations, particularly among Black and Brown communities and immigrant populations. In the 1780s-1830s, Black “benevolent societies” developed in the northern states, wherein Black people— many previously enslaved— supported each other through voluntary cooperation (The Massachusetts Review). As documents from the era show, the “earliest mutual assistance societies among free blacks provided a form of health and life insurance for their members—care of the sick, burials for the dead, and support for widows and orphans” (National Humanities Center).
Mutual aid is also central to many Indigenous cultures and economies, as the founder of the First Nations Development Institute explains in an interview for Yes! Magazine. Other historical examples of mutual aid include the mutualista societies that Mexican immigrants brought with them to Texas and the Black Panther free breakfast program (Sustainable Economies Law Center). I think of how, a couple years after my grandfather was released from a Japanese American incarceration camp, my grandfather ran out of money during a cross-country bus trip. He had to live in a Chicago bus station for a few weeks until he ran into a guy he’d known in camp, whose mother let him live in her boarding house rent-free for six months.
For many of these Black and Brown and immigrant communities, mutual aid was not— and is not— a philosophical choice, but an act of “resilience and defiance, practiced out of necessity in the face of inequitable access to basic needs” (Sustainable Economies Law Center). Such communities often get overlooked by dominant aid structures. Grassroots projects dedicated to queer and trans Black and Brown people, for example, often don’t have enough funding because money gets funneled to bigger nonprofits that leave those communities behind (Zora).
Believing in the mission of mutual aid requires us to reflect deeply on our actions and our beliefs. It’s not just a matter of choosing what kind of people/organizations/projects we give our money or time to. It’s a matter of how we think about it. It’s easy for us to fall into the trap of white saviorism, for us to think we know better than the people we are giving to, for us to elevate ourselves higher while ignoring structural problems. As Teju Cole writes in his illuminating article in The Atlantic:
“The White Savior Industrial Complex is a valve for releasing the unbearable pressures that build in a system built on pillage. We can participate in the economic destruction of Haiti over long years, but when the earthquake strikes it feels good to send $10 each to the rescue fund. I have no opposition, in principle, to such donations (I frequently make them myself), but we must do such things only with awareness of what else is involved.”
Many nonprofits function on the idea of charity, utilizing a hierarchical structure that keeps the power in the hands of the givers. They decide who is deserving and what they deserve. As Jennifer Seema Samimi explains, the “separation of social justice and social service provisions has silenced the people most directly affected by issues of injustice, and it privileges educated employees and board members of nonprofits” (Columbia Social Work Review). On the other hand, the mutual aid framework focuses on keeping social justice at the center while empowering those most directly affected.
When we redistribute funds, we need to remember our own position. Remember that “charity can do more harm than good because often people outside of the community dictate what the community itself needs, rather than based on what the community itself knows it needs” (Climate Justice Alliance). Believe in everyone’s own self-determination. Believe in the strength of solidarity and our own collective power.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The concept of mutual aid has been practiced for generations, particularly in Black and Brown communities and immigrant populations often overlooked by other governmental and nonprofit aid.
One of the core tenets of mutual aid is the idea of solidarity, not charity. Solidarity involves collectively working together to solve the root causes of structural inequity.
Many nonprofits function on the idea of charity, utilizing a top-down, hierarchical structure that keeps the power in the hands of the givers.
RELATED ISSUES
11/1/2020 | Question billionaire philanthropy.
9/30/2020 | Close the racial wealth gap.
6/11/2020 | Support Black-owned businesses.
PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT
Thank you for all your financial contributions! If you haven't already, consider making a monthly donation to this work. These funds will help me operationalize this work for greatest impact.
Subscribe on Patreon | Give one-time on PayPal | Venmo @nicoleacardoza
Close the racial wealth gap.
Happy Wednesday! As we continue to analyze the economic impact of racism, we can't forget to acknowledge its lasting legacy. Sydney, one of our newest writers and a high school senior, outlines how our legacy of racism is evident when we look at wealth, particularly wealth accumulation and generational wealth.
Early early readers will be reminded of our Black-owned business newsletter that we wrote fifty years ago (aka June).
Thank you for all your support! If you enjoy this newsletter, consider giving one-time on our website, PayPal or Venmo (@nicoleacardoza), or subscribe for $5/mo on our Patreon.
– Nicole
TAKE ACTION
Support local Black-owned businesses. Refer your friends to the businesses that you have positive experiences with to increase their number of consumers.
Support political candidates who advocate for reparations and programs that are geared toward bridging the racial wealth divide. An executive summary of 10 possible solutions to narrowing the racial wealth gap is linked here.
GET EDUCATED
By Jami Nakamura Lin (she/her)
The drastic divide between Black and white households’ wealth reveals how centuries of discrimination and inequality have thwarted the African American community from achieving economic prosperity. The racial wealth gap dates all the way back to when the enslavement of Black people began in the 1600s and is still prevalent to this day. While African Americans worked tirelessly on plantations and unwillingly did domestic housework, white people were simultaneously profiting off of their free labor and generating wealth that would later be inherited by their descendants. After years of working without receiving monetary compensation, African Americans were severely disadvantaged because they possessed hardly any assets or money. Once slavery ended, African Americans were abruptly cast into society with little-to-no financial footing, making it incredibly difficult to accumulate wealth. Legal and social barriers such as redlining, segregation, and institutionalized racism prevented African Americans from advancing in society, subsequently prohibiting a majority of the population from amassing generational wealth.
The racial wealth gap refers to the disproportionate divide between Black and white households’ average wealth: “Almost all studies calculate wealth by adding up total assets (e.g., cash, retirement accounts, home, etc.) then subtracting liabilities (e.g., credit card debt, student loans, mortgage, etc.) The resulting figure is your net worth” (Forbes). A typical household’s wealth is made up of ⅔ of housing equity. According to the Economic Policy Institute, the median household wealth for white people is $134,230, compared to Black people’s median of only $11,030. African Americans’ median household wealth is less than 1/10 of their white counterparts’.
A vast majority of statistics that compare wealth and income among races prove that the racial wealth gap is both dramatic and unequal. Even minorities who have received high-level education and come from stable home environments only possess a fraction of what white people in their same position do. “Even the typical black family with a graduate or professional degree had more than $200,000 less wealth than a comparable white family” (Economic Policy Institute). Considering that education is meant to be directly correlated with greater financial success, it is appalling that Black families who have the same level degree as their white counterparts are still not treated as equals. If education is not the way that Black people can become more socially mobile, then what is?
Disparities between the earnings of Black and white people are undeniable. According to Vox, white people aged 16 and older earned a median of $823 per week, compared to only $621 for Black people and $600 for Hispanic people. The gap between racial earnings reflects the presence of discrimination in the workforce and exposes the United States’ inherent racism. The Harvard Business Review stated that “since 1990 white applicants received, on average, 36% more callbacks than black applicants and 24% more callbacks than Latino applicants with identical résumés”. There has been little change since the findings of this study were examined, which proves that hiring rates among Black applicants have remained relatively stagnant. While there are multiple factors that could deter an employer from hiring a certain applicant, it is still evident that there is a noticeable trend of selecting white people over their equally-qualified Black counterparts, which exposes racial bias in the work environment.
The benefits of wealth extend far beyond the possession of material goods. Wealth allows people to purchase houses in safe neighborhoods, receive necessary healthcare, get a strong education, save for retirement, and ultimately pass money down from generation-to-generation. When a family possesses a large sum of generational wealth, their descendants automatically have a safety net that enables them to start businesses, attend costly universities, and make investments.
Because of the cyclical poverty that has been imposed on the Black community as a result of years of oppression, generational wealth among African Americans is much smaller than that of white people. “The Urban Institute found in 2013 that both black people and Hispanic people were five times less likely to receive large gifts or inheritances (of over $10,000, in either case) than white families, and that those gifts were thousands of dollars larger for white families than the minority groups” (Vox). Lack of generational wealth puts the Black community at a severe disadvantage because while white families continue to thrive off of the money they inherit, a considerable amount of African American families have to “start from scratch.” According to the Economic Policy Institute, an inheritance at the median increases wealth by more than $100,000 for white families and only $4,000 for black families. The obvious difference in the amount of inheritances that are afforded to white households versus Black households proves that generational wealth is a leading contributor to the maintenance of white people’s position at the top of the economic pyramid.
Narrowing the racial wealth gap would provide African Americans with a fairer chance at financial success, and bring society one step closer toward repaying the Black community. The United States has not made any significant strides toward bridging the racial wealth gap, so it is imperative that we elect politicians who will advocate for policies that would benefit underprivileged Black families.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The racial wealth gap results from years of slavery, sharecropping, redlining, institutionalized racism, and discrimination in the workplace.
Because the gap has been consistently widening for so many years, it will take a lot of time and the implementation of several government policies to fix the problem.
The racial wealth gap is a reflection of how the United States has systematically failed Black people.
RELATED ISSUES
6/11/2020 | Support black-owned businesses.
6/20/2020 | Support reparations.
8/9/2020 | Understand the unemployment gap | COVID-19
9/2/2020 | Rally for fair appraisals.
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Happy Thursday!
Today is our first conversation that looks at the economics of racism – and how black businesses have been disproportionately impacted by systemic oppression. Today we'll review a little about the history and significance of Tulsa and how you can support black businesses as part of your practice.
I'll be testing our texts today, so if you want alerts, text ARD to my cell: 718-715-4359. And as always, contributions are greatly appreciated! You can give one-time on PayPal, start a subscription on Patreon, or send Venmo to @nicoleacardoza.
Nicole
TAKE ACTION
1. Sign the 15% Percent Pledge Petition to encourage major companies to pledge 15% of their shelf space to Black-owned businesses.
2. Choose something you've bought in the past week. Find a black-owned business that offers a similar product / service. Plan to buy that product again (or something else) from this retailer.
GET EDUCATED
Why is it critical to support black-owned businesses right now?
It's not easy being a Black business owner in the U.S. With limited access to capital and connections for their work to be seen and celebrated, Black businesses are just as impacted by racism as black people, making it difficult for their products / services, employees and communities to thrive.
And because of COVID-19, black-owned businesses have been particularly struggling this year. A recent report published by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that “the number of African-American business owners plummeted from 1.1 million in February 2020 to 640,000 in April," a 41% decrease. Overall, the United States lost only 22% of total business owners over the same period, showing a disproportionate impact on African-American individuals. Center for Responsible Lending Study
Part of this was fueled by the inequitable Payroll Protection Program, which aimed to support small-business owners through the pandemic. However, its structure illuminated some of the larger systemic disadvantages people of color, especially Black people, face in business. It initially prioritized people with existing relationships to commercial lenders, but Black people are twice as likely to be turned down for business loans than their White counterparts. It also prioritized those with employees, but "businesses headed by people of color are less likely to have employees, have fewer employees when they do, have less revenue, and have a smaller share of revenue compared to white-owned businesses". Center for Responsible Lending Study
Although Black people account for 15% of the population, there are few Black-owned brands carried by major retailers. Today's call-to-action is a small practice to counteract generations of harm against Black business owners through individual action and calling for collective change.
To fully understand the impact of systemic oppression on Black owned businesses, we have to talk about Tulsa.
“It’s so important to support black-owned businesses right now, because we are doing the work. It’s supporting the actual communities where injustice occurs.”
― Danielle Mullen, owner of Semicolon Bookstore & Gallery in CNBC
The Tulsa Race Massacre
Trump recently announced that he is hosting his first presidential rally post-COVID-19 in Tulsa, OK. He's also hosting it on Juneteenth, which we'll be discussing in full next week, but you can read about its significance here. And people (including myself) are not happy.
Tulsa, OK has deep cultural significance to the civil rights movement. In 1921, Tulsa, Oklahoma’s Greenwood District, known as Black Wall Street, was "one of the most prosperous African-American communities in the United States". O.W. Gurley, a wealthy African-American from Arkansas, moved to Tulsa and purchased land that he only gave to other African-Americans, leveling the playing field in a deeply segregated community for his community to thrive. Black businesses were thriving, a sustainable community that did not need dominant culture.
According to this article in JSTOR, "the average income of black families in the area exceeded 'what minimum wage is today.' As a result of segregation, a 'dollar circulated 36 to 100 times' and remained in Greenwood 'almost a year before leaving.'"
But this all changed when a black man was accused of assaulting a white woman in a neighboring town. The white community nearby attacked the community – on foot and by plane. Over two days, thirty-five city blocks went up in flames, 300 people died, and 800 were injured. Reports showed that local police actively participated in the rioting. The entire event was omitted from history records for decades, and will be included in Oklahoma state school curriculum for the first time this fall. Reported property damages estimate the total destruction at $1.8 million in 1921, a $25 million loss for the community in today's dollars.
With this type of outrage on the growth and development of Black wealth in our history, paired with consistently named barriers for our community to access funding and opportunities as businesspeople, it's critical we all do our part to support Black-owned businesses however we can.
PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT
Thank you for all your financial contributions! If you haven't already, consider making a monthly donation to this work. These funds will help me operationalize this work for greatest impact.
Subscribe on Patreon | Give one-time on PayPal | Venmo @nicoleacardoza