Welcome to Reparations Circle Denver.

Facing Our Shared History

Growing Beloved Community

Funding Reparative Change

A community of reparationists

Reparations Circle Denver's mission reflects the views of an increasing number of Americans of European descent who recognize that their wealth can be traced back to the U.S. history of the enslavement of Africans or financial advantages accrued over generations at the expense of Black Americans.  We seek to build a community of contributors and a pool of funds dedicated to the strengthening, creation or re-establishment of institutions, religions, languages, and traditions within and beyond the Denver metro area Black Community.

a culture of repair

The fund’s decision-making partner, the Denver Black Reparations Council, Inc. (DBRC) is led by Arthur McFarlane II, a great-grandson of W.E.B. DuBois. The DBRC is an independent panel of African Americans that determine how funds are directed.

DBRC and the fund’s contributors recognize that Reparations must be a process of repair and recovery starting in local communities. DBRC will help people visualize avenues of “micro reparations” that go beyond money and invite us to alter the racial agreement impacting us all. Through these efforts we will release the energy necessary to create the country we hope for. Working together we will build a culture of repair.

OUR STORY

Reparations Circle Denver and the Denver Black Reparations Council were conceptualized in 2019 in collaboration with The Denver Foundation.  The Denver Black Reparations Council was established in 2020, incorporated in 2021, and, with its partner Reparations Circle Denver, issued its first reparative grants in 2022. Since then, we've issued two more rounds of reparative grants in 2023 and one in 2024. Over $1MM has been raised during these initial phases. Our combined teams look forward to working with the community on the many aspects of repair needed to bring our families closer to wholeness.

Reparations: An Overdue Conversation.

Moderated by poet Norma Johnson, with Robert Atwell and Arthur MacFarlane III of the Denver Black Reparations Council and David Alley and Lotte Lieb Dula of Reparations Circle Denver

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