White People Paying It Backward

Some white people are starting to open their purses to anti-racism, inching towards reparations

Photo by cottonbro from Pexels, Photo by Ksenia Chernaya from Pexels Adapted by Author on Canva

One thing I have noticed after the racial uprisings of 2020 is that a few white people are opening their wallets more. I mean, I think they’re getting that the years and years of racial advantage gave them a big chunk of their money, and they’re finding practical ways of acknowledging this.

Maybe it’s just my imagination, but I think white people are coming to support black people in money terms in ways that I didn’t see even a few years ago. For example, in a presentation I organized with two white women about their personal work and community work in racial justice, they chose to give all the money the sponsoring organization and donors provided to the moderator who was a woman of color. One of the young white women actually belongs to a society that finds responsible ways to share their generational wealth.

I have another little story.

This past weekend I drove up from my small, Western Massachusetts town to the “big city” aka, Boston to visit some friends. On Sunday, on our way to brunch, we stopped by an amazing independent bookstore in Jamaica Plain. While soaking up all the gems, the titles, the artwork, the variety, I set my eyes on a Spanish book for young adults. I’m extremely committed to maintaining my…