National Day of Panhandling for Reparations
by Carmen Van Kerckhove
Artist Damali Ayo is planning on making October 10th National Day of Panhandling for Reparations. Here’s more info from an email she sent me:
People of all races across the United States will take an hour or two to sit in a range of locations in our communities: outside of businesses, libraries, museums, art galleries, or on busy street corners. We will wear signs reminding passersby of the history of slavery in the United States. We will collect reparations in the form of money from white Americans for the enslavement and free-labor of Africans and African Americans during the establishment and economic rise of this country. This money will be immediately paid out to black passersby. Both parties will be offered a receipt. We will do this to offer a convenient opportunity for American citizens to acknowledge, apologize and compensate the unpaid labor of African Americans, the travesty of slavery, and the rightful due of reparations.
Why panhandling?
African Americans have tried several means to recoup reparations for the enslavement of our relatives, with little progress. Panhandling illustrates a last resort of African Americans and all citizens after our government has ignored or denied all previous requests for reparations, is to take matters into our own hands and take to the streets. Panhandling is an immediate means of exacting reparations. We offer ordinary citizens the opportunity to pay the reparations our government has denied us, or to walk past our presence on the street and continue to ignore our collective history. What choice will you make?
What do you think of this concept? Will it reinforce the notion that blacks are just looking for a handout? Or will it be an effective way to raise awareness of the legacy of slavery?
Carmen Van Kerckhove is co-founder and president of
Latoya Peterson wrote:
I’m not feeling it.
Personally, I don’t want the idea that African-Americans are looking for handouts to be linked to reparations.
I appreciate Ayo’s creativity, but I think this idea would do way more harm than good.
Posted 08 Aug 2007 at 2:23 pm ¶
Golden Lady wrote:
The only thing I think this will accomplish is to piss off a lot of people, black and white. When people are angry it’s usually very hard for them to see any sort of reason, so I think this will do more harm than good.
And though I like free money as much as the next person, there’s something about accepting any of this money if I happened to be a passer-by that just doesn’t feel right. An internalized compulsion to not be seen as yet another lazy black person, perhaps? I would feel better if, say, the money was given to a charity that services a predominately African American population.
Posted 08 Aug 2007 at 2:43 pm ¶
summer wrote:
ditto what Latoya said. The panhandling will overshadow Ayo’s message.
Posted 08 Aug 2007 at 2:50 pm ¶
Anonymous wrote:
I could see this happening in downtown Philadelphia (one of the only places with significant pedestrian traffic). A few things could happen:
1) the panhandling artists get harassed by the cops, as panhandling is illegal.
2) white men and women in suits ignore them, and a few may throw the “My grandparents came here from Italy” at them.
3)white men and women and kids who are tourists cross the street to avoid the commotion.
4) black men and women are absolutely insulted to be handed change while going about their day, and may be more outraged to know the reason. A few may throw out the “My grandparents came here from Haiti” at them.
5) Any white person who gives money does so with amusement, and may think, “Cute, my (anti-racist) work is done.”
The major flaw in all this is that the errors of slavery were compounded by 100+ years of segregation, Black Codes, Jim Crow, and de facto discrimination. Some of my ancestors were slaves here in the US. Some were not. Some were slaves in Bermuda and freed decades before those in the US. All of the black ancestors, regardless of background, experienced discrimination in the US, post-slavery. And half of my family came to the Philadelphia region from Western Europe in the mid or late 1800s and neither (to our knowledge) had slaves NOR domestic servants.
Yes, that half benefitted from white privilege, but that’s NOT what reparations are supposed to be….
So what would happen if I were approached? Do I take 50 cents out of my right pocket, and put it back in my left pocket? Do other African Americans with European ancestry (i.e. most of us) contribute 20 cents and take 80 cents from the pot?
I’m with Latoya – it would stir debate but not USEFUL debate. And it would come across as a handout, which fuels racist concepts about black people generally, and would be damn insulting to boot.
Posted 08 Aug 2007 at 2:58 pm ¶
Wendi Muse wrote:
i think it also distorts the meaning of reparations in general, pulling it more toward the more popular, frankly dumbed-down version as opposed to the original intent: the reworking of american institutions.
Posted 08 Aug 2007 at 3:06 pm ¶
gatamala wrote:
Most folks won’t get it. Perhaps that is her point. The “meta” is way over my head
Was she behind rent a negro? That one killed me.
Posted 08 Aug 2007 at 3:21 pm ¶
Arisa wrote:
There’s nothing about where this money goes to, just the pocket of whoever receives it? I also think that there are more positive and productive ways to draw attention to the issue then panhandling, which most people frown on.
Posted 08 Aug 2007 at 3:35 pm ¶
Arisa wrote:
Sorry, Golden Lady cleared that one up.
Posted 08 Aug 2007 at 3:40 pm ¶
Dawn wrote:
I can see the sccenario Anonymous paints quite clearly. This might draw attention to the issue of reparations but not the kind of attention one would hope for.
Posted 08 Aug 2007 at 3:44 pm ¶
deb wrote:
I once listened to a podcast of Ayo doing her reparations thing on the streets. Here’s the video version.
Posted 08 Aug 2007 at 3:46 pm ¶
FrancesM wrote:
I love it! And I’m going to participate too! The reason I’m into it is because it’s a form of art that forces people to think. Many folks seem happy to sweep slavery & the effects it still has on US American life under the rug. If it’s only brought up in the most delicate ways it will continue to be ingnored & racism will continue to thrive. Is it the worlds best idea ever? Maybe not but ask yourself what you have done today to make the effects of slavery less for yourself & others.
Also it will give those who identify as Black a space to acknowledge their anger publicly without being viewed as “hostile”, another thing we get percieved as often being. Not that everything folks of color do should have to concern what whites will think of us. This is a peaceful way to say something & try out a little performance art at the same time.
For safety’s sake I’d encourage folks to team up and have allies nearby incase of any foolishness on the parts of those passing by. If any of you from Portland, OR wanna team up that day contact me at my blog!
Peace!
~F
Posted 08 Aug 2007 at 4:08 pm ¶
georgia wrote:
This is one of the worst ideas I have ever heard of. I think the only fair way to collect reparations if it were to be done is getting the money from the many companies that benefited from slavery(and are still in existence today).
I would be really annoyed if I someone asked me for change with this reason in mind, while I usually give willingly to real pan handlers. These collectors would also be taking money from the guys who really needed it and are out there everyday.
Lastly reparations should not be for personal and individual gain. Setting up a college fund, or something along those lines would be acceptable, but just cutting a check so someone can go by and IPod is wrong.
Posted 08 Aug 2007 at 4:09 pm ¶
Blanky wrote:
Isn’t panhandling illegal in a number of larger cities? Breaking laws won’t endear the public to this cause.
Also, “white Americans” seems vague. According to the census, it refers to Northern, Southern, Western, and Eastern Europeans, Arabs, Jews, Central Asians, some non-latino Hispanics, North Africans, and many current Native Americans. Many of these groups were deemed “white” at around the 40s, long after the end of slavery, and many did not enter America until after 1900.
My father and mother still speak English with heavy accents–my mother’s family was nowhere near America until the 50s, and my father’s settled in New York after an exodus from the Shtetl from ‘25 to ‘35.
It’s potentially offensive to recent white immigrants and caucasoid-looking Americans as a whole, insulting to longtime white Americans, and degradingly stereotype-reinforcing to black Americans.
I think I’ll give some money, anyway, because I like giving to charity.
However, I want to know what the money will go towards. Perhaps she should issue a statement.
Posted 08 Aug 2007 at 4:18 pm ¶
Latoya Peterson wrote:
Also –
Maybe it’s because I live and work in and around DC, but I find panhandling seriously grating.
It is hard enough to deal with the constant panhandlers who hang out with GOOD reason – I pass a lot of ex-vets, mental patients that were kicked out of institutions in the 80s and 90s, homeless junkies, etc – people who sit on the sidewalk and try to get my attention to get any amount of money they can to keep living for that day.
So, I must say:
1. While I understand the reasons for people panhandling, it is really hard to try to stay patient and understanding when someone accosts me for the 5th time in 15 mins asking for my spare change the day before payday…
2. And that would be DOUBLY hard for me to swallow from a bunch of privelged (compared to the homeless) black people with a reparations complex.
Leave the streets to those who have no other recourse. Take the fight for reparations to some other venue.
[Side note - if raising awareness is the goal, why not take all of those people who volunteer to panhandle and have them hold up a series of signs? Explaining the whys of reparations? Provocative photos? A subtle building of a mass message? I think that would be more effective than harassing people in the name of awareness...]
Posted 08 Aug 2007 at 4:36 pm ¶
Lauren wrote:
I agree with FrancesM who said “The reason I’m into it is because it’s a form of art that forces people to think.”
It forces people to think and it forces them to make a choice. So much of today’s racism stays strong because white people pretend it does not exist or skillfully avoid the topic whenever it rears its honest head.
This performance forces white passerby to either say ‘”Yes, I am acknowledging the injustice of slavery, the inequitable foundation it built for our country, and my undeserved benefit due to it” or to refuse another human being and deny that entire history and injustice. It prompts confrontation.
I also like that the money goes from one person to the next instead of just to a charity – this is an immediate, direct, transaction. The reparations debate has dragged on for so long, without many people Doing anything. This is quick, simple, and finally action – be it small, but action nonetheless – has begun.
Is it the end of the reparations debate/quest for reparations? No. It is the beginning. Is it a ‘get out of being a racist’ free card for whites? No. Many will try to make it that, but this behavior is nothing new and is not a reason to not engage this performance.
Posted 08 Aug 2007 at 5:35 pm ¶
Chris wrote:
If you look at Damali Ayo’s actual webpage for it (damaliayo.com/pages/reparationsday.html) you can download a complete “kit” for panhandling. It lists tips like panhandle with someone else for safety (someone suggested that above too) and also says you should station yourself somewhere that doesn’t interfere with other panhandlers.
That webpage also has a link for a radio story Ms. Ayo did about this project. I would recommend it because she explains a lot of the reasoning behind it all.
Posted 08 Aug 2007 at 5:49 pm ¶
TROUBLMan wrote:
As art, this idea is creative. As activism, its misguided. If we are really trying to repay blacks for their unpaid service to this country let’s be effective. Let’s invest in the community and black institituions. Simply givin out money is far from the objectives of reperation.
Also, if we wanna adress slavery, lets adress it in its current form–jails. An effective and relevant reperations program should definitely adress the rehibilitation of blacks in prison, deterence for youth, and a smarter criminal justive system.
Posted 08 Aug 2007 at 5:51 pm ¶
tyrell wrote:
It is a good idea to partake in this. Let me break it down fo ya….you aint never going to see big money thrown at this reparations thing. Not in 10 yrs not in 30yrs. . Let it help the people who partake in panhandling. i sell water in the street and this is a great way to upcharge my repeat customers!!!
Posted 08 Aug 2007 at 8:00 pm ¶
damali ayo wrote:
hey people!
thanks for the conversation, and big thanks to those of you who understand the performance and are going to participate!
i’m finding that most people who don’t get or don’t agree with the concept haven’t read the info i provide on it (a couple of people didn’t even read the whole post here….i’m also finding that our country is confused about this issue because we lack a common understanding of what reparations are.) I wish i could sum up this concept/performance/art in a sound bite but it’s simply too complex to do that. so i have to rely on piquing your curiosity enough to make you want to find out all you can about it.
if there is one thing i can say it is not to make too quick a judgment, and instead join the performance. trust me, when you take it to the streets, it makes a lot of sense. i learned so much from doing this work which is one of the many reasons i am inviting folks to join me.
as far as interfering with other panhandlers- this work grew out of a respect for what they do as a form of work. nothing will give you more appreciation for the hard work of panhandling than panhandling itself. and i’ve done it. this performance does however, play on the general perception that panhandling is a form of begging. it is the discomfort with this- the idea that we would want to stop an african american from begging for reparations that underlies the project.
SO the fact that some of you want this NOT to happen is part of the performance itself. i hope that citizens all over the country see people panhandling for reparations and do all they can to stop us from begging for what is rightfully owed us- by encouraging our government to offer the reparations we are due.
I look forward to hearing that more of you are joining the performance!
sign up at http://reparationsday.com
Posted 08 Aug 2007 at 8:06 pm ¶
damali ayo wrote:
oh and YES! i am the woman behind rent-a-negro.com and the book How to Rent a Negro.
(so i’m not afraid of getting people to think, satire or controversy…)
thanks!
damali
Posted 08 Aug 2007 at 8:22 pm ¶
severus wrote:
Many of us are used to being panhandled by bums of the “windchime” persuasion, so it will probably not seem like anything different is going on. The only good outcome I can see is that this might just alert more people to the out and out scam that the “reparations” bit really is.
Posted 08 Aug 2007 at 11:06 pm ¶
tstorm wrote:
“Panhandlers” is another term for “beggars,” which worries me, but the point is a descriptive one. She is describing through metaphor the position that black people are in. Her point is not prescriptive; she’s not saying that black people should beg.
If the artistic event is large enough, it’s going to make the news and that’s going to get people talking. Talk is a start. But talk on the local news or on Bill O’Reilly is actually counter-productive.
True, “white people pretend racism does not exist,” but those whites who don’t understand what white privilege is truly don’t have any idea how they benefit from slavery nowadays.
So I worry that the project will not arm people with the concepts that they’ve lacked in their upbringing and in their education. When I talk about white privilege and institutionalized racism in my classes with juniors and seniors in high school, they’re largely ignorant about these concepts.
As TROUBLMan writes, “an effective and relevant reparations program should definitely address the rehabilitation of blacks in prison, deterrence for youth, and a smarter criminal justice system.” These are some of the concepts that could come up in conversation as a result of the “performance.”
But I worry that misinformed discussion on racial relations actually does more bad than good. When my school district tried to address white privilege during one of those teacher in-service days, it was pretty disastrous. The result is often to make people more cynical toward race issues.
damali does follow through; she speaks about the “trials and successes of racial interactions,” through presentations, workshops, and coaching, so I can definitely see her using this experience to then educate people during such presentations.
And the instructions in the kit advise a partner who can take photos or videotape; the resulting media is the real artwork. With enough videos on YouTube about how people responded, damali could succeed in at least showing how the public views blacks begging for reparations. That could be really powerful.
But the live performance I’m very skeptical about. Lauren wrote, “This performance forces white passerby to either say ‘Yes, I am acknowledging the injustice of slavery, the inequitable foundation it built for our country, and my undeserved benefit due to it’ or to refuse another human being and deny that entire history and injustice.” I don’t think it’s that simple.
Can we simply label those whites who pass by as denying the entire history and injustice of slavery? Because they opted not to give a panhandler (many of whom have slightly unreliable stories anyway) money? I wouldn’t be so quick to pass such judgment.
My question is this: if a white person is unaware of his undeserved benefit due to slavery, is it his fault? I think not. But I’d like to hear what other people think.
Posted 08 Aug 2007 at 11:38 pm ¶
A Black Briton wrote:
I agree with Golden Lady. This is a terrible idea. Not only is it impossible to differentiate between white Americans (whose ancestors were present in America during the period of slavery), white Americans whose ancestors were not here and non-American whites, but you may also be confusing black Americans with Africans and non-African blacks. This will be sure to offend many peoples and reinforce the notion that black Americans are looking for a “handout”.
Don’t you think it is unnecessarily divisive to judge people based on their skin colour and make the above assumptions?
I believe that most people in America have copious opportunities to succeed – if that is what they desire to do. However, it seems as though some people will continue to blame their shortcomings on their perceptions of racism in society.
Posted 09 Aug 2007 at 3:03 am ¶
Drydock wrote:
The case against reparations, by Adolph Reed
http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-67921041.html
Posted 09 Aug 2007 at 6:39 am ¶
Corbin wrote:
I think Anonymous was definitely on point; personally, I would be seriously offended if someone handed me money on the street just because of my skin color or ancestry.
I feel like this is just going to be used by some to alleviate their white guilt and just make other people angry, without creating any sort of constructive conversation about reparations. It will be definitely be reinforcing the idea that reparations are just about getting a hand out, and it takes credibility away from any real discussion surrounding reparations, which in my opinion should be about creating/changing institutions to address inequalities experienced by African Americans.
Posted 09 Aug 2007 at 8:35 am ¶
Ari Merretazon wrote:
How dare you to pull a stunt like this! National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America N’COBRA), the leading organizational voice for reparations in America. You need to do something to embarass America, not trivalize the major life issue of the 21st century for Blacks in America. As a Board Member of N’COBRA, I am asking you to cease and decease with this foolish ploy. I’m directing you to our regional website,www.ncobraphiladelphia.org, and asking you to open dialogue with N’COBRA around your so-called support for reparations. If you want to support our demand for reparations you talk and work with us under a collaborative understanding, otherewise do your panhandling for another cause.
Ari S. Merretazon,Board Member, N’COBRA
ncobraphiladelphia@comcast.net
Posted 09 Aug 2007 at 9:02 am ¶
Gregory A. Butler wrote:
This is a breathtakingly bad idea!
1. In the City of New York, panhandling is illegal. The NYPD define it as “disorderly conduct” and you can get arrested and ‘put through the system’ (translation – 3 days locked in a bullpen with 80 other folks with bologna sandwiches, warm orange soda, no showers, open toilets on the cellblock so everybody sees you when you go to the restroom and sitting in the same clothes you got busted in) and then you get arraigned before a judge and then given the “deal” of sweep the streets for the Sanitation Department for 3 days without pay in return for a dismissal of the charges.
Doesn’t sound like too much fun, does it?
Just ask the 230,000 New Yorkers that went through that last year (thank you Rudy Giuliani and Mike Bloomberg!)
2. Beyond that, a lot of racist White people think Blacks are lazy – why do we want to reinforce that?
3. Most White New Yorkers are decendants of European immigrants – many are 1 generation who were born over there. They will say that Slavery was NOT their problem – since their ancesters were over in Poland/Albania/the Ukraine/Ireland ect when slavery was legal here.
All in all – bad idea, very bad idea!
Posted 09 Aug 2007 at 10:03 am ¶
islandgirl550 wrote:
This whole thing troubles me. I just mentioned the reparations day of panhandling to some white people here at work. Before I could get the entire statement out, I was laughed at and brushed off as being angry and militant.
I think time would be better spent sticking it to the companies who benefitted from slavery and are still in existence. There are a few banks and insurance companies here in NYC that purchased and assumed the assets of the old time banks and insurance companies that issured great-great-great-great granddaddy Massa by listing horses, cattle, shovels, and 50 slaves on his insurance rider. That’s where the money is… Met Life, Aetna, and JPMorgan Chase …
Posted 09 Aug 2007 at 11:12 am ¶
Karen wrote:
I think a better Idea would be to hang up fast facts all around town about the history of slavery instead. Like the music video “where is the love”. of course, it isn’t gonna be safe from criticism, cause I know people are gonna view it as dwelling on some ‘irrelevent’ piece of the past and being overly sensitive, but i think it would get the message across better because you project will be heavily misconstrued and then people are gonna stray away from the message.
Posted 09 Aug 2007 at 12:54 pm ¶
Acanthus wrote:
The artist is just setting up a mind game so she can observe the range of reactions to it. All of your comments here are a part of the game.
Posted 09 Aug 2007 at 12:58 pm ¶
Lalasun wrote:
Honestly — I’ve never quite understood the idea of Reparations. I just don’t like that so many black people are caught up on them – like ‘if I can just get that one big check everything will be alright!’ NO IT WON’T! That money would be gone and spent and most would be right back where they started. How many people to you really think are going to take that $ and go to school, or invest? How many are going to squander it on living in the moment – not only looking foolish in the process, but also proving ” the man” right? As a young black woman I don’t feel like anyone owes me anything – if you’re going to pay reparations give it to living slaves and immediate families of slaves i.e children. People who actually lived with SLAVERY – not just hardship and adversity or prejudice. Not to belittle those things, but reparations are for years of unpaid labor — not anything else. Or better yet – form funds for predominately black areas and scholarships – money to clean up cities and pay for more police to drive down crime. Spend it on our schools and youth, don’t give it to the tiny every-man where it will amount to little when by pooling it it could amount to so much. Everytime this comes up it re-opens the wounds of a divided and unequal nation – not to say we should forget about Slavery by any means, but if we’re constantly digging up that garden nothing new will ever grow. As long as we’re mentally stuck in a time where we were considered inferior we will remain inferior through our own self fulfilling prophecy. I, personally, want to concentrate on building my future, and my children’s future and their children’s future. And I don’t need $ from the government to do that – I’ll do it by myself, and prove to myself and to whomever may doubt me and other young black women that we’re just as good if not better than those around us, and that skin color is not indicative of intelligence, motivation, determination, or ability.
Posted 10 Aug 2007 at 1:35 pm ¶
Anchorage Activist wrote:
Bad idea! Not only will it be perceived by much of the white community as yet another “handout”, but it’s likely to fuel racial backlash.
And the imperious and antagonistic reaction by the N’COBRA representative shows that many of the prospective beneficiaries wouldn’t appreciate it anyway. The N’COBRA representative could have been more diplomatic. Considering the amount of complaining by so many self-elected, self-proclaimed black “spokespersons”, one would never know that we actually passed a civil rights act in 1964. It’s time for more “gratitude” and less “attitude”.
Posted 11 Aug 2007 at 1:03 am ¶
Acanthus wrote:
Anchorage Activist, meet Grateful Lalasun.
Posted 12 Aug 2007 at 10:49 am ¶
carla wrote:
Wow, I’m totally saddened by the argument that an artist–or anyone else, for that matter–shouldn’t attempt something because it might not have the intended reaction. That argument shuts down any and every potential action.
Will an in-depth discussion on any topic happen between passersby on the street? Highly unlikely. Might someone be confronted with an idea in 30 seconds or so that might actually make them think? Quite possibly. Do we really not understand why the artist is generalizing the audience based on appearance–isn’t that precisely what racism does? And N’COBRA doesn’t solely own the idea of reparations. Anyone is free to explore that concept as she or he chooses.
Go Damali! I think it’s a provocative idea about an important issue.
Posted 15 Aug 2007 at 12:33 pm ¶
NoBSJones wrote:
Okay, you ask me to pay for reparations, Fine.
Then you can pay me for the loss of several family members who were killed fighting to free the slaves during the civil war.
Oops….thats right, thats not politically correct!
Posted 18 Aug 2007 at 8:43 pm ¶