Black led coalition demands equitable distribution of American Rescue Plan Act funding to Black led organizations

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A group of Black led organization leaders have joined forces in demanding a more equitable distribution of federal funding. Members of the group believes allocating 45% of the $100 million in local federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to Black led organizations with close the racial wealth gap in Durham, North Carolina.

The Back in the Black Coalition for Equitable Funding notes the massive impact of Covid-19 on Black -owned businesses. Between February and April of 2020, they declined by 41% compared with a 17% decline among white-owned businesses.

“The racialized impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has only heightened systemic inequality and Black-wealth divide,” the group states on their petition campaign page. “The embedded racism in our society must be met with an honest response of a just apportionment of 45 percent of funds towards Black and Black led projects.”

The ARPA will allocate $350 billion to local and state governments. Durham City is receiving $50 million, and Durham County will disburse approximately $62 million. Thirty-eight percent of Durham’s population is Black.

The Back in the Black Coalition for Equitable Funding submitted proposals to receive $22,950.00 from the Durham City Council and $27,000,000 from the Durham Board of County Commissioners. Members of the coalition include Valine Ziegler of Empowered Minds Academy, Dr. Ronda Taylor Bullock representing we are, Nia Wilson, and Mya Hunter representing SpiritHouse, Dr. William Jackson with Village of Wisdom, Camryn Smith representing Communities in Partnership, Jason Williams with War 4 Life, Maya Jackson with MAAME and Joy Spencer representing Equity Before Birth.

Their proposal highlights conclusions on the Roosevelt Institute blog referencing the work of Duke University reparation scholar Dr. Sandy Darity and his wife Kristen Mullen.

“They argue that reparations are “a program of acknowledgement, redress, and closure for a grievous injustice and that reparations payments from local governments and institutions such as Georgetown University, are diluted and piece-meal,” the proposal states. “We agree that placing the financial burden of a true reparations framework on a small metropolitan city would create an adverse financial effect, and we are therefore asserting that ARPA funding allocations be considered a hybrid framework that both immediately ensures funding practices on the local level and sets a national precedent to implement closing racial wealth gaps.”

The groups theoretic approach sets it apart form other proposals to receive ARPA funding. The coalition reflects an emerging mindset that examines funding within the context of historical impacts on the Black community. Black Agenda919, formed in 2018 after the release of the movie Black Panther, is a collective of Black people, working from a Black cultural perspective, to amplify stories, visions, needs and desires of Durham’s thriving Black community.

The participants in the Back in the Black Coalition for Equitable Funding group are engaged in conversations with Black leaders and organizations working to shift the grip of white supremacy in allocating local funding.

The group proposes ARPA funds be placed in Mechanics & Farmers Bank, one of the historical institutions of Durham’s Black Wall Street. Proposals initially approved by the city and county funding processes will receive money either directly form the city or county, or through Mechanics & Farmers without an additional application process.

“The racialized impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has heightened systemic inequality and the Black-wealth gap,” the proposal states. “The roots of this injustice stems from the period after the Civil War with racist practices solidified during the Jim Crow era.”

The proposal commends city and county elected officials in taking “bold actions to declare racism as a public health crisis and creating a Racial Equity Task Force” to provide recommendations aimed at addressing economic disparities.

“But, in order for that aim of repair to be truly met, there has to be justice-oriented action in thought, policy and practices,” the proposal states. “That’s why in addition to demanding the City of Durham and Durham County invest and reallocate resources to communities of color in order to build an inclusive economy where we all thrive, we are also demanding that the City and County allocate 45 percent of funds intended for the work of equity to go to exclusively Black and Black-led organizations and businesses that address the impact of Covid on communities already stressed because of the impact of systemic racism.”