Portland Racial Nonprofit Seeks to Heal Communities with Reparations Power Hour

{snip}

In Portland, Cameron Whitten leads the local racial social justice nonprofit Brown Hope. Earlier this year, he drew national attention for the organization’s unique approach to redistributing wealth to people of color: the Reparations Power Hour.

The event takes place every month or so with the goal of helping people of color in not-so diverse Portland gather, organize and feel part of a larger community.

“This event is for y’all to claim the space and claim the money and claim the agency,” Whitten told the crowd at the August gathering.

{snip}

The event is paid for by white donors and each attendee gets $10 just for showing up and being a person of color. Hence, the reparation.

“I’m about shifting civic capital,” Whitten said. “And so what I said was, ‘White folks, we’re already putting in our effort. Where’s your effort? Will you donate to make sure that this can happen monthly? We put up a donation page, and we said, ‘Hey, we’re giving $10 to every black, brown, indigenous person who shows up because they’re putting work in, and they are building that community that you say you so desperately want in Portland.”

{snip}

The formal organizing portion of the event happens during the 10-minute “stir fry.” It’s a 10-minute period for announcements for organizations, individuals and events.

At the August power hour, the stir-fry leaned political — it included a declaration of support for the Portland Clean Energy Fund ballot measure and promotion for a support group for families who have lost loved ones to police shootings.

Organizers say they call this a “power hour” — rather than a “happy hour” — because of the information that is shared and the community they’re trying to build and empower.

{snip}