Dear white people: We don't have to wait to start reparations....

When we lost my incredibly loving, welcoming, and daring mom, I inherited some funds that I knew she’d be thrilled to see used as a community benefit, also known as the commons - (Thanks Nina Cardin for educating me about this, and to so many others along this journey!).My parents were part of the first volunteer Fair Housing Testers in Los Angeles in the late 60’s and early 70’s. They even helped recruit the cast of “All in the Family” to the cause. In fact, Carroll O’Connor, who played Archie Bunker, said he played a bigot so well because he hated them so much.nbsp;From my parents’ example, I also became a tester for many years around our highly segregated Baltimore City and counties. The testing included segregated white suburban and city enclaves and hammered home the horrific injustice of discrimination and exclusive communities. Just who are they excluding, and Why?nbsp;My parents worked hard in getting an education and being the greatest of parents while raising three kids. Neither one had any inheritance, a home, nor any other money when they married. They and I, however, benefited from tax credits and deductions as homeowners that a majority of Blacks were not able to access. Our family homes appraised for more money than they would have in historically redlined areas. We were able to get loans more easily than Blacks and at lower interest rates. My father, who was a Marine, got his bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D., likely benefiting from the G.I. Bill which again, blacks were for the most part, not able to take advantage of.nbsp;Our family insurance rates have been generally lower as we lived in ‘less risky’ zip codes. I was able to work without the many barriers of being Black or having a name that might hold me back in a white, male-dominated job market. Both my parents and I had access to historically discriminatory FHA loans that benefited whites-only loan processing and I was able to rent in areas that Blacks could not. My family can live where they wish without fear. I can drive, go for a run, and ride my bike without fear of the police or vigilantes hunting me down and killing me because of my skin color. All of the Government handouts and institutionally woven-in benefits described above gave my family an unfair advantage and, therefore, the ability to create more generational wealth from modest means than Black families. Remember, Blacks today have on average about 1/10th the wealth and only 2/3rds the income of an average white person only because of systemic white supremacy.nbsp;The above does not even mention the legacy of our nearly 250 years of unimaginable slavery, the Black Codes, Block Busting, Debt Peonage (post-emancipation slavery by another name), Jim Crow segregation, Deed Covenants, sundown towns, and whites-only suburban development, all of which led to white families being able to create generational wealth and ‘climb the economic ladder’ more easily. So, even though most of these horrors are in the past, the benefits to whites of these systems remain today. The game was, and remains, highly and systematically rigged. While I can’t level the playing field alone, I can at least try to start setting things right, and lead by example, just as my parents did.nbsp;My partial amend to the above is in donating this beautiful Baltimore City land. (Heres a report on that here) With two ponds, on what is now bonafide urban farmland, I see my donation as a form of reparation.nbsp;Although I may not have directly harmed indigenous or Black people, nor am I responsible for the horrific actions of white people in the past, I have greatly benefited from all the privileges that being white (and a white male in particular) allows in our country.The land we purchased was originally stewarded by indigenous people. I always knew it was never mine to really own, just to also temporarily steward for future generations. Stewardship is the act of making wise use of the natural resources provided by the earth and for the commons to benefit. And now that is where the land is returning - into perpetuity for the commons, for everyone to benefit from, learn from, and enjoy.nbsp;Real estate professionals and investors use the term Highest and Best use. To them, it’s all about maximizing use and therefore profits. Bigger is better, and more is also better, resulting in more money for themselves. Here, at least, we can demonstrate that open space that is used for the commons, our community, will begin in a small way to rectify injustices. That is the ultimate ‘use’. That is my form of reparation. That is the ultimate benefit.nbsp;These are not the first reparations my wife and I have provided, nor will this be the last. I challenge my fellow white property owners to reconsider adding yet another house addition, or moving to an exclusive gated subdivision, and instead consider giving some of the monies or land away. Give it to BIPOC individuals, communities, and institutions, nature or farm conservancy, or to a public land trust. Or to the city, county, or state. If it’s important enough, give it to our United States, all with an eye to rectifying systemic injustice. Pay no heed to those vocal critics that reparations seem to rankle - for unless they are also contributing to racial justice, they are merely noise blowing through the beautiful land you just released.nbsp;Your gift may impact thousands you’ll never meet or get to know. But know they will someday take a big breath while standing there, thanking you.nbsp;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlRSzxS1D5g