Acts of Forgiveness, aka Reparations

Dr. Brenda M. Greene

Maura Cheeks’s novel, Acts of Forgiveness (Ballantine, 2024) is very timely as we consider reparations for Blacks in this country. What will reparations look like? What form will they take? What will be the process for getting reparations? What moral and ethical dilemmas might reparations pose for Black people? How will the guidelines for determining reparations impact relationships among Blacks throughout the African diaspora? Will there be white backlash as more Blacks receive reparations?

Acts of Forgiveness is told from the perspective of Willie Revels, a young Black woman whose family qualifies for the Forgiveness Act. Meeks does not provide readers with the timeframe for the passage of the Forgiveness Act; however, readers do know that it is enacted under the leadership of President Elizabeth Johnson, a white woman who traces her ancestry to Andrew Johnson who became President after the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln.

President Johnson focused on his own brand of reconstruction, one that encouraged Southern states that had seceded to hold elections and conventions and to restore their civil governments. A major result was that Southern states codified Black Codes which restricted the freedom of formerly enslaved Blacks and forced them to work for low or little wages. President Elizabeth Johnson vows to “chart the course that her ancestor regrettably reversed.”

Willie’s family qualifies for the Forgiveness Act based on the government’s criteria. They are descendants of enslaved African Americans in this country and can trace their ancestry back to the 1860s in the state of Mississippi.

Willie Revel’s real desire is to be a journalist and in the tradition of Ida B. Wells, she becomes a journalist and covers political, social, and race-related issues in New York. When her father is faced with health challenges, she leaves her job as a journalist and goes to work with her father who owns a construction company. Willie also takes the lead in documenting why her family should receive reparations and becomes the historian who asks questions of older relatives and who combs through census records and courthouses in Mississippi to trace the lineage of her family.

Her family members are activists in their own right and have a history of persistence in owning and working their land. As a child, Willie attends predominantly White schools and her family is one of the first Black families to move into the predominantly White enclave of Philadelphia. In an effort to connect and to have an impact on their community, they host salons in their home and invite civic, political, and educational leaders in their neighborhood.

HR 40, the bill that established the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans was led by Congressmember Jackson Lee and presented to the House Judiciary Committee in 2021. It passed out of the Committee but has failed to come to a vote in either the House or Senate. New York State Governor Kathy Hochul signed a bill in December 2023 to create a commission that would study reparations and the persistent, harmful effects of slavery.

Although there is evidence that most Black people support reparations; it is complicated and in some cases has divided Blacks within the African diaspora. The American Descendants of Slavery (ADOS) is one organization that is viewed as the cause for this tension and discord. Members of its leadership have been accused of being promoted by conservatives, siding with anti-immigrant groups, and causing dissension between African Americans, Caribbean Americans. and Africans who have made the United States their home for 50+ years or more.

Cheeks’ novel exposes the complexity of these issues. Questions that arise include should proof of ancestry be the only criterion for reparations and/or should the government initiate programs and community projects to address reparations? Questions raised for many is where is the evidence that America has apologized for its legacy of slavery, the resulting Jim Crow and discrimination laws, housing and health inequities, and high rates of criminalization of Black men.

Cheeks’ novel also emphasizes the importance of maintaining family relationships and connections and living as a Black person in a society constructed by race. Willie is conflicted about pursuing her own desires or the goals of her family who want her to continue to work in the family Black-Owned construction business. Both she and her daughter experience the tensions that arise from being the only Black person in a predominantly White community and school. She reflects on why it is difficult for a White teacher to understand why her daughter, who is the only Black person in her class, would not want to give a research report on her ancestors.

Cheeks presents the issues and dilemmas that will arise as the country develops the processes and solutions for addressing the lingering effects of slavery for Blacks in this country. She was inspired to author this book when she was awarded a masthead reporting residency with the The Atlantic. She has published writing in The New York Times, The Paris Review, and Tin House among others. Acts of Forgiveness is her first novel. For further information visit www.mauracheeks.com

Dr. Brenda M. Greene is Professor of English, Founder and Executive Director of the Center for Black Literature, and Senior Special Assistant to the Provost at Medgar Evers College, CUNY. For more information, visit https://www.drbrendamgreene.com