Activists and actors will take part in a National Day of Panhandling for Reparations for the fourth year in a row today, a piece of performance art meant to draw attention to an issue that once resided only at the fringes of Civil Rights movement, but has recently made its way into more mainstream policy talks. Participants of all colors will be panhandling from white passers-by and redistributing to black passers-by on street corners around the country, a performance that has enough controversy wrapped around it to capture national attention. "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," writes organizer Damali Ayo on her site.
As Kameelah Rasheed reports on the event for WireTap, the idea of begging for reparations has obviously created some controversy. Yet like most performance art, that's the point:
The performance may not lead to the sudden implementation of reparations programs or unite all Americans, but it has at least got us talking -- even before the actual performance. Some have called the performance shortsighted and irresponsible activism. "Social movements succeed when multiple channels are involved," writes Damali. A street performance piece alone can't do all of the heavy lifting. Such a performance has to be complemented by other efforts.
It's an interesting conversation, especially in light of the fact that the subject came up at this summer's CNN/YouTube Democratic debate for the first time. As Ayo says, the day is not about making panhandling a policy, campaign, or solution, but about putting the issue in the public sphere. And no matter how you feel about the idea of literal reparations, it's an important conversation to have. While I don't think reparations in the form of a personal check are going to happen anytime soon, there is a lot to be said for candidates discussing how to best invest in improving a system that's been racially stacked since the beginning.
--Kate Sheppard
