Rebuild

Reestablish

Develop

Grants given by the Denver Black Reparations Council are focused on rebuilding and sustaining institutions and traditions that were destroyed, damaged, or prevented from thriving as the result of the enslavement of African and African descendant people and the aftermath of slavery.

 

Next Grant Cycle: Fall 2023

The Denver Black Reparations Council (DBRC) mission is to:

Rebuild

Rebuild institutions, religions, languages and traditions within the Black Community of the Denver Metro Area as well as throughout the State of Colorado and beyond that were destroyed during the enslavement of African and African descendant people.

Reestablish

Facilitate the reestablishment of Black institutions that were destroyed by the oppression that was imposed post-slavery.

Develop

Facilitate the development of Black institutions that were prevented from coming into existence by that oppression.

Reparations is not just about cutting a check. It's about repairing a community.

We have been conditioned to be frightened by the word “Reparations” because the definition has been restricted to only giving out money. We see Reparations as a process, not just a financial transaction. The heart of Reparations is to repair a community that has suffered for centuries. Financial compensation is one of several restorative processes that includes changing an educational system that is based on supremacist ideology, creating a system of security and policing that is not based on controlling Black bodies, fast-tracking home and land ownership, which is a foundation for wealth accumulation, and connecting Black people to a history that was taken from them.

New Hope Baptist hurch
New Hope Baptist Church. Looks to be from the 60s judging by the Pontiac parked in front. Source: Denver Public Library
Black Firemen_Captain Nathan Biffle
Black Firemen Captain Nathan Biffle. 1944. Source: Dr. Marilyn Hosea
Standard station 29th and Colorado Blvd, Denver
Standard station at 29th and Colorado. [1950-1970?] Source: Denver Public Library
McRea Wrecking Co.
McRea demolition. [1950-1970?] Houses in Five Points. The sign reads “This Building Will Be Down within […] days McRea Wrecking Co. AL54142” Source: Denver Public Library
Emmett Williams Barber Shop
Emmett Williams Barber Shop, 2721 Welton St. Source: Denver Public Library
Black men at City Park, Denver, Colorado
Black men at City Park. [1905-1915?] Source: Denver Public Library
Only colored fire company in Denver 1931
Only Colored fire company in Denver, 1931. DFD No 3. at 2363 Glenarm Place. Source: Denver Public Library
Martin Luther King, Jr. statue
Blair Caldwell Library

Support Our Mission Make a Donation

This Denver Black Reparations Council prioritizes funding for organizations that focus on remedying societal and institutional acts that continue to negatively impact the economic and social progress of African Americans residing in Colorado. Your donation helps us to provide the funding.

Areas of funding interest include:

Economic development
Financial literacy and wealth acquisition
Entrepreneurial ventures
Mental and physical health access and education
Black history, culture, knowledge, and awareness
Reimagination of career options and pathways
Community building and advocacy
Access to critical life sustaining services