Economics

The Dismantling of White Privilege Can Affirm Reparations

Published

5 years ago

June 28, 2019

God on Wall Street

Last week, the nation heard Sen. Mitch McConnell suggest that the election of Barack Obama has satisfied America’s appetite for reparations. To suggest that the benevolence of America’s racist culture allowed a Black man to become the first Black president, prompts a discussion on privilege.

When we can look white privilege in the face and negotiate it, we can look towards more reconciliatory language. We think that this discussion is about racism, and it is; however, if we were to look deeper into the pupils of white privilege, we would discover that the real discussion is about classism. In his essay, “The Souls Of White Folk,” I read where W.E.B. DuBois said, “My poor, un-white thing! Weep not nor rage.

I know, too well, that the curse of God lies heavy on you. Why? That is not for me to say, but be brave! Do your work in your lowly sphere, praying the good Lord that into heaven above, where all is love, you may, one day, be born – white!”

DuBois strikes a familiar tune when he says, “work in your lowly sphere…” And one of the reasons that reparations is not a bigger discussion today is because for too long, we have been accustomed to working in lowly spheres.

We need more entrepreneurs, more brothers and sisters in colleges and universities around the world, and we need to claim our independence. And we need to stop worshipping white men, and they need to be relieved of the thoughts that they are clay demi-gods. When poor white folk understand that they are no better than anything Black, we will have different conversations surrounding reparations.

As I listened to Ta-Nehisi Coates and the Bay Area’s, Danny Glover respond to the logic of the reparations debate, the name “George Stinney,” came to mind. George Junius Stinney Jr., was an African American convicted at age 14 of the murders of two white girls ages 7 and 11 in 1944 in his hometown of Alcolu, South Carolina.

He was executed by electric chair in June of that year, still only 14. To read the account of this unjust act, and its horrific ending, only uncovers the need to dismantle white privilege. Because the chair was designed for an adult, and not for an adolescent, this increased the torture of the moment.

Another sign to say that there are no benefits in being Black in America. We need this discussion. If it does nothing more than waking up a dormant Black community, we need to dismantle white privilege.

Rev. Curtis O. Robinson, Sr.

Posts by Rev. Curtis O. Robinson, Sr.

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Activism

Oakland Post: Week of December 18 – 24, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of December 18 – 24, 2024

Published

2 days ago

December 20, 2024

Oakland Post

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Activism

Council of Islamic Relations Applauds Alameda County Decision to Divest $32M from Caterpillar

The divestment from Caterpillar, a company criticized for its human rights abuses globally—including the destruction of Palestinian homes, infrastructure, and agriculture, as well as in the U.S. prison-industrial complex, border militarization, and immigration detention centers—is a significant step in ensuring that Alameda County’s financial resources do not perpetuate harm.

Published

1 week ago

December 14, 2024

Oakland Post

CAIR-SFBA Policy Coordinator Musa Tariq. Courtesy photo.

Special to The Post

The San Francisco Bay Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-SFBA), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, this week welcomed the Alameda County Board of Supervisors’ decision to divest $32 million in public funds from Caterpillar and unanimously commit to adopting an ethical investment policy.

The Board’s decision follows months of advocacy by Bay Area Divest!, a coalition of community organizations calling for accountability in public investments.

In November, CAIR welcomed the reported freeze on the delivery of bulldozers to Israel as an “implicit admission” by the Biden Administration that the far-right Netanyahu government is using that equipment in the ethnic cleansing of Gaza.

CAIR-SFBA Policy Coordinator Musa Tariq said:

“This is a historic moment for Alameda County, demonstrating the power of community advocacy and the County’s leadership in ethical governance. The decision to divest from Caterpillar sends a clear message that public funds should not support corporations complicit in human rights violations.”

In addition to divesting from Caterpillar, the Board voted to move forward with developing a comprehensive Ethical Investment Policy, recommended by District 5 Supervisor Keith Carson.

This policy will include criteria to exclude “investments in industries, corporations, or governments that perpetuate harm to communities and the planet,” such as fossil fuel extraction, weapons production, and entities involved in war crimes, apartheid, and other severe human rights violations.

Alameda County has a proud legacy of socially responsible investment. In 1985, the County divested from South Africa to protest apartheid, and in 1996, it barred investments in companies doing business with Burma due to human rights abuses.

“This forward-thinking policy positions Alameda County as a leader in socially responsible investing,” added Tariq. “By committing to craft the policy within 90 days and implement it within six months, the County has set an ambitious and commendable timeline.”

CAIR-SFBA is an office of CAIR, America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.