Restoration Through Reparations: a convening for California funders
Photo credit: Leroy Hamilton
As Black History Month came to a close, we had the opportunity to gather in Santa Monica for the first in-person convening in our Restoration Through Reparations series. More than just a historical reflection, this gathering was a rallying call for restitution, justice, and the restoration of wealth and legacy stolen from Black communities for generations.
California’s Untold Past
The event was intentionally held at the Viceroy Hotel in Santa Monica, on land once owned by Silas C. White – a father, entrepreneur, fighter for justice, and community-builder – before it was forcibly taken by the City of Santa Monica through eminent domain. We were honored to welcome his daughter, Connie White, and niece Milana Davis, Advocacy and Policy Lead at Where is My Land?, to share his story and the long-term impact of land dispossession on families. “My dad was a visionary,” Connie said. “He wanted a place where our community could gather, enjoy the beach, and be treated with dignity. But they took it from him. And that broke him.”
Silas White’s story is not unique. The systematic seizure of Black land—whether through eminent domain, racial covenants, or outright violence – is part of the history of America, and California. Don Tamaki, former member of California’s Reparations Task Force and co-leader of Alliance for Reparations, Reconciliation, and Truth, shared that, “Between 1943 and 1973, there were 2,532 eminent domain projects across 992 cities, displacing one million people. Two-thirds of them were Black.” Those projects stripped generations of families and communities of wealth and economic opportunity.
The evening’s moderator, Nicole Taylor, President and CEO of Silicon Valley Community Foundation, discussed with Tamaki the commonalities in both Japanese Americans and Black Americans fighting for reparations. “Reparations is a unifying concept,” Tamaki said. “It is about repairing a racial pathology that has harmed not only Black Americans but our entire society.”
Joanna Jackson, President and CEO of Weingart Foundation, shared her organization’s experience confronting their history of wealth accumulation, underscoring the importance of philanthropic institutions taking active steps towards reckoning and repair. “If we were going to address structural racism, we needed to look at ourselves.”
The Path to Repair
One of the most powerful takeaways from the convening was the importance of storytelling and narrative change in the movement for reparations. The stories of land dispossession must be told and acknowledged if we are to make progress toward justice and funders can and should play a role in amplifying those narratives.
“Winning these battles requires media amplification, social mobilization, and a willingness to challenge the legal barriers that have long protected these injustices,” said Kavon Ward, Executive Director of Where is My Land?. “We are not asking for charity. We are demanding what is rightfully ours.”
Dr. D’Artagnan Scorza, Executive Director of Racial Equity for Los Angeles County, outlined the process that led to the successful return of Bruce’s Beach to the descendants of Willa and Charles Bruce, emphasizing the need for legal strategy, public pressure, and political will. Lisa Parson, Equity and Inclusion Manager for the City of Santa Monica, acknowledged the city’s role in Silas White’s dispossession and their attempts to create a citywide approach, including launching a reparations program.
A Call to Action
The event’s MC, Fred Blackwell, CEO of the San Francisco Foundation, highlighted the importance of CBFF establishing the Black Freedom Fund, California’s first Black community foundation, in order to sustain investment in grantees like Where is My Land.
Continuing to lift up stories like that of Silas C. White, the residents of Altadena and Pasadena, and other Black families experiencing land dispossession, investing in the leaders at the forefront of these efforts, creating spaces where we collectively advance community-led solutions—this is how we build the future all Black people deserve. During the event, we were joined by musician Aloe Blacc, an active supporter of the Eaton Fire recovery efforts. He performed a moving rendition of Donny Hathway’s “Someday We’ll All Be Free”, a reminder of our collective work towards a more just future: “Brighter days will soon be here/Take it from me, someday we’ll all be free.”
We remain inspired by the words of Silas C. White, which CBFF Executive Director Marc Philpart read to attendees:
“I have seen thousands come to the beach and be compelled to dress and undress in their cars or in the public restrooms. How often have I repeated to myself, why should we not have a nice beach club? Fully realizing that wishing would not make this a reality, I finally started to act.”
