A Black Lives Matter affiliated coalition of organizations calling itself the Movement for Black Lives made headlines earlier this week when they laid out nearly 40 policy recommendations and six demands of the federal government, included a call for reparations. The request for reparations for descendants of African-American slaves is one that has long been maintained among social justice circles and tends to resurface for White Americans whenever society is confronted with racial turmoil.
Thanks to a project that has come to fruition in only the past couple of weeks, a Black man or woman who may need some resources, might not have to wait on the government to pass legislation. Reparations.me is a website with a mission that invites "people who identify as White to offer services or contributions to People of Color in need of time, energy, substantive care, and support."
“It’s about reparations for things that happened earlier today, for yesterday, for last Thursday,” says Seattle-based artist Natasha Marin, who created the forum as a social experiment which started out as a Facebook event. Marin witnessed many in her network express a sense of powerlessness amidst the racial tension that reared following spats of police violence and retaliation in the early weeks of July. Marin invited friends and associates of color to join, encouraging that they post needs which might help them “feel better, be happier, be more productive.” Before long the event became a group and eventually sprang off into its existence as a website. “If it had just been 50 people and some connections were made, generosity shown and gratitude shown, I would’ve been happy,” Marin told the Washington Post when reminded of how popular the site is fast becoming.
The website's layout is considerably simple. Its homepage is split, with a scroll down one side showing the offerings that users have recently made, and the other side of the page listing categories and tags to help users navigate their way around the site. Atop there is a tab for users to click should they wish to make a request or bare an offer. The website even as a "Troll Fund," set up to monetize off of any potential bullies who might attempt to sabotage the community. Members can sign up to be "Troll Slayers," who offer a donation of $1 for every negative message the site receives. At press time the site had a tally of nearly 5,000 trolls slain, which equates to $5,000 raised.
“I think people are asking themselves: How can I be just a little bit better?” Marin says of those who've joined to help the cause. “It’s encouraging to see people remember that it feels good to be helpful.”
Source: washingtonpost.com
