The Path of Direct Repair:

A Reparations Workshop for White Individuals & Families



begin today

Designed for white individuals and families who wish to take their support for reparations to the next level by investing in direct reparative change.


In this 15-session retreat, we explore both the economic rationale for reparations to the descendants of the enslaved in America, as well as the moral and spiritual imperative for doing so.

Attendees will gain an understanding of the historic inequities that result in our current 10:1 racial wealth gap and begin to research and clarify where our families fit into this historic puzzle through reparative genealogical research.

Finally, we'll craft plans of repair that begin to unwind the harms our collective families have inflicted over hundreds of years.

What's included?

  • 16 self-paced sessions
  • Extensive learning tools
  • History immersion
  • Interactive lectures
  • Family research projects
  • Zoom reflection sessions
  • Journalling exercises
  • Discussion forum
  • Plan of repair workbook
"Thank you for an incredible program. It was wonderful in content, presentation, homework materials, and in the masterful facilitation of our group. I will be doing this work for the rest of my life. I think this is the most important work to heal and possibly save our democracy, or actually, to create a new way of becoming a unified nation."  
— Susana
"This course was a powerful experience to explore and understand how the legacies of slavery continue to inform our present. I learned so much about my own past, and through the shared stories of other participants. What I loved the most was a strong emphasis on using our own agency and power to engage in concrete acts of repair, in service of healing. A transformative learning and action experience. Thank you! " 
— Rabbi Caryn Aviv
"I am deeply grateful for this opportunity to learn about and examine my family history with special attention to my white advantages and privilege. This program helped me understand the impact of misrepresented US history and to discover my family's connections to slavery and the economic comfort I have enjoyed. The presenters were well informed and experienced. The resources offered and the participants' shared stories call me to renew my commitment toward genuine equity at all levels of community." 
— Mary Zinn

Frequently Asked Questions

Cost

The course is free for solo-learners or $350 for cohort-based retreat sessions, which we schedule occasionally. Cohort-based retreatants must also make a reparative contribution. The registration fee covers the cost of the retreat - additional pledged proceeds will fund Black-led reparative projects, to be announced with each retreat cycle.

Reparative Fundraising Goal

Fundraising Goal: to be set with each retreat

Pledges are due at registration with contributions due by the end of the retreat.  

Facilitation

The retreat will be facilitated by Lotte Lieb Dula of Reparations4slavery.com, with special guests each session.  Briayna Cuffie will join us for several sessions.  

Homework

Each session will include advance reading and self-inquiry assignments, based on the R4S portal curricula, designed to deepen our conversations and work toward repair. Attendees should plan on spending 2 - 4 hours per week on the assignments.

Pace

Each session of the course will cover 2 modules; attendees must engage with the course materials extensively before each session to most deeply benefit from this workshop.  While some materials may be presented in class, much of our sessions will be spent in deep-dive discussions to deepen our understanding.

I don't Live in Denver - may I still attend?

Yes! This online workshop is designed so that anyone may attend. Past attendees have hailed from all across the US. 

What will you do with funds raised?

Contributions will fund a Black-led project or organization to be determined. Pledges are due at registration with contributions due by the end of the retreat.  

How do I make my pledge payment?

Please payment instruction will be provided at the beginning of each cohort.

Is this workshop right for me?

This workshop is designed for white- bodied people who:

  • Have already been working toward racial justice
  • Have worked toward being less fragile when discussing issues of racism and personal complicity
  • Believe in the movement for reparations
  • Are either familiar with their genealogical history or willing to do 4 generations of research
  • Are willing to engage in personal and group introspection
  • Are able to face our shared history with both compassion and equanimity
  • Are aware of personal or family trauma that may surface as we explore our family history and are willing to work through whatever shows up
  • Are willing to make a significant financial contribution to a Black-led organization

We look forward to meeting you!

How should I prepare in advance for the workshop?

Ideally, each attendee should conduct the following general and genealogical research ahead of the retreat:
  • Explore the Reparations4slavery.com portal
  • Trace ancestors 4-5+ generations back
  • Determine if there is a background of slaveholding
  • Catalog how our ancestors made their livings:
  • i.e. farmer, fisherman, attorney, civil service, blacksmith, etc.
Meet the facilitators

Lotte Lieb Dula

After discovering that she was a descendant of slaveholders, Lotte Lieb Dula, retired financial strategist, founded www.reparations4slavery.com, a portal for white families walking the path of racial healing by engaging in direct repair.

 Lotte is a also a founding donor of Reparations Circle Denver which works in partnership with the Denver Black Reparations Council toward repair in Denver.  
Patrick Jones - Course author
Patrick Jones - Course author

Briayna Cuffie

Briayna Cuffie is a strategist, advocate, and future author based in Annapolis, Maryland. She leverages her political expertise, teachings from her elders, and history, to help others understand the complexity of Blackness in the United States.

Briayna is involved with Coming To the Table’s Annapolis chapter and is the racial equity advisor for www.reparations4slavery.com
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