An Education That Serves Us: Black Sensemaking of Educational Reparations

• In Event: Education, Reparations, and the Elusive Quest for Black Educational Justice in Evanston, Illinois

Abstract

Purpose
This research examines how Black residents in Evanston, IL react to a historic reparations initiative, and how they imagine educational repair. I ask, How do Black residents in Evanston, IL make sense of the current reparations program? How does this compare to their vision for educational reparations? What does this tell us about their conception of remedy and repair?

Perspectives
The structure of American schooling harms Black students’ and their communities’ present and futures (Dumas, 2014;Ladson-Billings, 2006; Stewart, 2020). While policy makers focus on reforms that improve learning conditions, recent conversations have slowly shifted to focusing on reparations to repair educational harm(ross, 2021). While the idea of reparations has long existed (Coates 2014), scholars are now advocating for educational reparations, which both consider the depth of educational injury and seek to move beyond reforms towards “…reimagining the Black educational landscape in its entirety” (ross, 2021, p.231). However, reparations are in a nascent stage, presenting an opportunity to understand how Black citizens imagine educational reparations and how they may be implemented

Methods & Data Sources
Interviews with 20 Black residents were conducted to understand their perspectives on the reparations initiative and educational reparations. Data was triangulated with observations of reparations committee meetings and local press reports. Interviews were coded for themes related to reactions to the local reparations program and views of educational reparations.

Findings
Most interviewees favored reparations but were critical of the current reparations program. First, residents saw the program as too narrow, both because it was limited to older residents who experienced discriminatory mid-century housing policies and because the benefit was housing focused. Second, residents believed the program was difficult to access due to constraints on fund usage and program qualification. Program limits were related to officials’ efforts to make the program resistant to legal challenges. During reparations committee meetings, officials and the legal counsel noted that the city was unable to give out cash payments and expand eligibility due to fears of litigation.
While critical of the program in practice, Black residents were excited about the prospect of educational reparations as a form of repair. Residents believed having schools that were culturally affirming and resource rich for Black children were important; they also felt that higher education should be free for all Black children. Residents believed it was important for children in their community to have a space of their own. Community control and viable opportunities for future generations were clear aspects of educational reparations.

Significance
Black residents’ mixed reaction to reparations in practice and their hope for educational reparations highlights additional considerations when designing programs to remedy anti-Blackness in education. First, balancing concerns about accessibility and legal constraints may not be possible. Instead of conforming reparations programs to current law, it may be necessary to change overarching tax and civil rights laws to ensure all Black residents can receive remedies. Second, though reparations are meant to repair past harms, they must be multi-generational and future oriented. To repair anti-Black structures that diminish Black personhood, those harmed must have agency and control.

Author

• Gershwin Penn, Northwestern University