damali ayo • gazing through big black eyes - National Day of Panhandling for Reparations

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October 10, 2007
We are taking it to the streets.
Join the
First Annual
National Day of Panhandling for Reparations

More info and Sign up to Participate at reparationsday.com

OCTOBER 10, 2007. People of all races across the United States will take an hour or two to sit in a range of locations in our communities: outside of businesses, libraries, museums, art galleries, or on busy street corners. We will wear signs reminding passersby of the history of slavery in the United States. We will collect reparations in the form of money from white Americans for the enslavement and free-labor of Africans and African Americans during the establishment and economic rise of this country. This money will be immediately paid out to black passersby. Both parties will be offered a receipt. We will do this to offer a convenient opportunity for American citizens to acknowledge, apologize and compensate the unpaid labor of African Americans, the travesty of slavery, and the rightful due of reparations.

“This performance opens a powerful opportunity for dialogue between government and citizens. Wouldn’t it be remarkable if the United States decided to implement a reparations strategy before a single one of us had to take to the streets?”

Why panhandling? African Americans have tried several means to recoup reparations for the enslavement of our relatives, with little progress. Panhandling shows the last resort of African Americans after our government has ignored or denied all previous requests for reparations. Panhandling is an immediate means of exacting reparations. We offer ordinary citizens the opportunity to pay the reparations our government has denied us, or to walk past our presence on the street and continue to ignore our collective history. What choice will you make?

Social movements succeed when multiple channels are involved. This performance takes the conversation about reparations to the street, adding a grassroots element to the already present academic and legislative conversations. Citizens have both the chance to pay and accept reparations, showing our representatives that citizens do indeed want to make reparations payments and how easily it can be accomplished. In addition citizens are encouraged to send their receipts to the IRS as proof that reparations is a process supported by the general public.

This work began in 2003 as a street performance by artist damali ayo: In living flag: panhandling for reparations
watch the performance on damali's web page or on youtube.