Please note, this is a proposal, not a passed resolution. And I have no idea how many members it would take to submit a resolution, so it could be two weirdos or have huge internal chapter support.

Edit: It appears I have started a struggle session. I apologise.

For the record, my own view on this is that it is well intentioned, but extremely poorly designed and (likely) to be poorly implemented as well. In one of my comments below, I say "I don’t think DSA, a predominantly white and PMC organization, is at all equipped to handle this in a way that doesn’t create more problems. To me, it would make more sense to have a Black socialist org be given the $ to do as they see fit, if this is a path the chapter votes on. It screams of white guilt rather than building power, and individual charity rather than mutual aid.". AFROSOC is an internal DSA org, as I understand it.

And I feel this is a textbook example of "charity vs mutual aid", with this decidedly being charity.

      • hauntingspectre [he/him]
        hexagon
        ·
        4 years ago

        To me, reparations is a "corporate" or state act, versus an individual or small group. In addition, reparations is for all, not few. At this level, of one chapter, it seems much more like charity.

        Now, reparations are far away (unfortunately), so is this at least something? Yes. But I think it's too performative and scattershot rather than systemic power building or mutual aid.

          • hauntingspectre [he/him]
            hexagon
            ·
            4 years ago

            Yeah, it sounds like we just have different definitions of reparations. To me, an individual can't make reparations for a historical atrocity - that has to come from the state that performed that atrocity. Leaving it at the individual leads to too much individualistic thinking/blame assigning/blame dodging and is likely to create tension within the group.

            But I have no problem with individuals doing the acts you described, I just can't think of it as reparations?

            Honestly, I might just be being a nerd about the word!

        • hauntingspectre [he/him]
          hexagon
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          4 years ago

          Naw, we aren't libs who means test like that. Census answers only, everyone involved receives the same amount, and we move forward.