The Issue of Reparations to the Black Community

About a year ago, I started paying reparations to the Black community, but in a rather unique way:

I informed Barclays Bank, which issued my Visa card, that I will no longer be making monthly payments on my outstanding balance of $4,413.23. Instead, I started sending that money to the United Negro College Fund.

I am a middle class white man in his late fifties who has benefited all my life from our national legacy of slavery. Since the United States Senate and our own President have decided to ignore the issue of reparations, I figured it’s up to me as an ordinary, powerless citizen to take action. And so I did by sending the following letter:

September 8, 2009

Barclays Bank Delaware                                                                   

P.O. Box 8804

Wilmington , DE 19899-8804

RE:      Steven Searle, Chicago, IL 60640

SUBJECT:      Refusal to pay back the outstanding balance on my credit card

Gentlemen:

I am canceling my credit card with you and will no longer be making payments on my outstanding balance of $4,413.23. My next scheduled payment of $100.42, which is due on Sept. 11, 2009, will not be payable to Barclays but instead to the United Negro College Fund.

I will continue to make monthly payments … to the UNCF until I have “donated” the entire $4,413.23, which I owe you, to their cause. You may consider this to be a payment of reparations to the black community which I am making on your behalf.

I am also disavowing any interest yet-to-be-calculated on my outstanding balance. I will regard the amount of that interest, in effect, to be a payment of my aggravation fee. Since I’m extremely confident your organization will attempt to aggravate the hell out of me to force payment of all principal plus interest, I feel entitled to withhold this interest and consider it to be payment for what I am about to endure at your hands.

I received your recent notice which states, “We are increasing the Annual Percentage Rates (“APRs”) on your account … [to] 30.24%...” That’s an increase of 20%, which is absolutely outrageous, especially given my outstanding credit history. This unconscionable greed on your part inspired me to take action based on a recent article by Naomi Klein:

“Minority Death Match: Jews, blacks, and the ‘post-racial’ presidency,” appearing in Harper’s Magazine, Sept. 2009.

Someone has to take action to atone for the wrongs resulting from the institution of slavery in the United States. And it looks like that “someone” will be me, acting as your agent by making payments to the black community on your behalf. When our government and major corporations won’t Do the Right Thing, that leaves it up to We-the-People.

END OF (letter’s) TEXT 

Steven Searle for US President in 2012

“Well, it’s been a year and Barclays (Visa Card) has declined to sue me. And Discover Card made some preliminary noises, but looks like they won’t be suing me either.”