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Hello Eugene community and beyond,
The For The People Garden is a BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, Person of Color) community garden development project in Eugene, OR. We strive to build support and community for People of Color in Eugene while learning how to grow healthy food to sustain us. In honor of Black History Month, we find it more productive and imperative to share this gofundme to help give reparations to the Black people in the For the People Garden who have made this project possible. Since its inception, Oregon has had a long history of excluding Black people that still ripples to this day. We hope that our white allies–especially those with generational wealth–decide to give back this Reparations Month.
“I’m not Black, and it’s been decades, why should I care about Reparations?”
There seems to be a common belief among non-Black people that enslavement and Jim Crow (etc.) were so long ago that it’s no longer the responsibility of those alive to repay those debts. This is simply a fallacy. Our tainted history of genocide, enslavement, lynching, the Klan, Jim Crow, mass incarceration–and let’s not forget our Boys in Blue–have all played and continue to play pivotal rolls in the trajectory and overall well-being of Black life. Not to mention the current racist policies and social conditions that favor lighter-skinned individuals, makes white folks more likely to get a job, own a home, and even have a longer life expectancy. This is why Reparations shouldn’t be the burden of Black people, but rather the responsibility of those who have prospered, flourished, or even just gotten by at the expense of Black folx.
“So what are reparations?”
Due to the ongoing atrocities of colonization and the unearned advantages that white folks inevitably inherit in the United States, we find that it is appropriate to have wealth redistributed to us and our community members. As you may know, the so-called United States used to be the land of many Indigenous nations which was stolen by settler-colonialist and further built by abducted African peoples. The United States then went on to be one of the richest countries in the world. Since the advent of the first slave ships arriving (circa 1619), the U.S. government has not fulfilled its original promise to pay the sufferers of enslavement their reparations for centuries of forced labor and torture.
Nonetheless, we understand that this history is not directly your fault, yet the same can be said about our ongoing oppression, poverty, and exploitation. Therefore, we find it morally and logically sound for every white person to seriously consider the legacy that they come from and take personal accountability wherever possible.
“What's wrong with donating to charities?”
It can be difficult to know if a charity or organization will give sufficient funds to who you think you are supporting. By donating to individuals or to organizations with complete transparency, you have the ability to make a meaningful change in the lives of people in your community who face significant boundaries.
We invite you to be a part of the change and support and uplift members of your community this Reparations Month. In the words of Margret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed it's the only thing that ever has.”
“I’m still confused about what privilege is and if I have it.”
And if you still don’t get it, here is a detailed essay written by award-winning journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates: