A modest proposal for energetic reparations
In recent years, the call for reparations seems to be increasingly vocalized, particularly for Black and Indigenous individuals and communities. Reparations are the return of stolen resources to oppressed and exploited peoples, such as money and land. (Learn more here and here.) I use the concept of reparations to propose a framework for energetic reparations.
Several months ago, I was speaking to another racialized person (Robert - all names changed) about a white person we both know (Bradley). Robert extensively praised Bradley for being such a great white ally and using his institutional power to do anti-racist work. Robert acknowledged that Bradley is not perfect, but stated that he deserves more recognition than he currently receives. As I listened to Robert, something did not sit right with me. I didn’t say anything during this conversation, but I reflected on it after.
While I believe in the importance of gratitude, I’m not sure if allies ought to be praised for doing the right thing. It reminded me of discussions I had in advocacy groups during my undergraduate degree about how allies don’t deserve cookies, gold stars, or celebration for being good.
As I worked through this discomfort with a racialized friend, I suddenly blurted out that Bradley’s behaviour was energetic reparations. That is, reparations for the energy countless racialized people have poured into his (un)learning journey, including me, as well as the energy he did not need to expend over decades of his life to understand, face, and/or challenge racism.
Racism is exhausting
Sometimes I think that white people do not comprehend how tiresome it is to be a person of colour in our society. Scholars have developed various models to conceptualize how taxing it is to face racism every day. While, as racialized people, we already knew this, research now institutionally validates it. Racial battle fatigue is race-related exhaustion from the harms of racism; minority stress is a framework for understand how stress experienced by minorities is different than other types of stress because it is specific to being marginalized or oppressed; and cognitive load are the mental resources drained from experiences of racism, particularly if they are subtle. All of these concepts help partially explain why racialized people are more likely to struggle with physical and mental health.
Speaking for myself, I know I exert large amounts of energy bracing myself for microaggressions, wondering if an interaction was racist, figuring out how to navigate situations without upsetting white people too much, and more. This begins right from the first interaction with a white person when I’m not sure if they will ask me where I am from, exotify me, or make a comment about how I am not like other Asians (e.g., because I speak English well).
From there, it doesn’t always get better. If someone I know does say something racist, I then need to spend time and effort considering whether, what, and how to say something. I consume hours of my life carefully mulling over our relational power dynamic, wording, tone, and more to avoid wasting emotional labour, being tone policed, and/or being typed as a “difficult,” “aggressive,” or “angry person of colour.” (Sometimes, it doesn’t even make a difference if the other person is too defensive.) It’s easy to say, just move on, you’re only torturing yourself, but 1) that is a form of victim blaming and 2) I feel a sense of responsibility to do what I can to prevent the same harms from being inflicted on other people of colour.
In addition, because the systems and structures I live within were not designed with a person like me in mind, I often need to put in extra labour. For example, the vast majority of my counselling degree centred white/western/eurocentric perspectives, so I had to do the additional work of ensuring my education was relevant to me and the people I want to serve.
Bradley, while a decent person, did not need to spend any of this energy due to his white privilege and general unawareness of the reality of racism until recently. Thus, all of the additional energy he did not use to contend with racism over the course of his life, combined with the perks he received as a white man and the energy he gleaned from racialized people, mean that he can expend that energy towards anti-racism.
Energetic reparations as a framework
Energetic reparations can take multiple forms, such as:
Calling in and educating other white people
Backing up and amplifying the voices of racialized people
Changing policies and practices in your organization to be more just for people of colour
Speaking up if you encounter racist behaviour
Viewing this as energetic reparations is a helpful reframe for me as it gives a concrete structure to conceptualize “ally work” as significant, but not necessarily worthy of accolades. To be clear, I do not think Bradley is doing it for the recognition, and I do appreciate what he is working on. I just view it as part of a more reciprocal exchange.
If you are also a person of colour who feels uneasy about applauding white people for being decent human beings, maybe this is a useful way for you to conceptualize why. If you are a white person who feels disappointed when racialized people don’t praise you for being a good ally, perhaps this can help you understand why it is important to give energetic reparations regardless. We need you to be committed to anti-racism whether or not you are admired for what you do.
Energetic reparations cannot replace material reparations or financial compensation for the anti-racist education people of colour provide white folks. However, I believe they are crucial to transform our communities and society to more just places.
What do you think of this idea?
“The essence of justice is the redistribution of gains earned through the perpetration of injustice. If restitution is not made and reparations not instituted to compensate for prior injustices, those injustices are in effect rewarded.”
~ Dr. Amos Wilson
