U.S. Reparations Task Forces Growing Across the Nation

Reparations have been a topic of discussion since the end of slavery and have recently gained more attention in the political discourse. Several municipalities in the United States are addressing the legacy of slavery with reparations and taking a variety of approaches. Dr. Rashawn Ray, a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, argues that land should be an essential component of reparations paid out to African Americans. 

Seven places across the country where the issue of reparations is being taken up by task forces are San Francisco, Evanston, Illinois, Detroit, St. Paul, Minn., Asheville, North Carolina, Providence, Rhode Island, and Amherst, Massachusetts. 

These municipalities are researching the scope of what reparations could look like, considering the economic damage done to Black communities by systemic racism and coming up with a report with recommendations in the near future.

Reparations have been a long-standing issue in American political discourse, with proponents arguing that Black Americans are owed restorative compensation for the legacy of slavery, discrimination, and systemic racism that they have endured throughout the country's history. 

While the concept of reparations has been discussed for many years, it is only recently that there has been growing momentum behind the movement, with several municipalities taking steps to address the issue.

One significant aspect of the reparations movement is the call for land to be a central component of reparations paid out to African Americans. 

This idea is based on the historical context of General Sherman's Special Field Order No. 15, which promised 40 acres and a mule to Black Americans or formerly enslaved people at the end of the Civil War, a promise that was never fulfilled. Land remains a significant issue in discussions around reparations, with proponents arguing that it is a necessary step towards restorative justice for African Americans.

The article highlights seven places across the United States where reparations task forces are taking action to address the legacy of slavery and systemic racism. In San Francisco, a task force estimated that the cost of reparations would be $800 billion to compensate Black Californians for generations of systemic racial discrimination, over-policing, and disproportionate incarceration. The recommendations included financial compensation, eradicating personal debt and tax bills, providing homes in San Francisco for $1 for every eligible family, and guaranteeing annual incomes of at least $97,000 for the next 250 years.

 

Evanston, Illinois, made history in 2021 as the first city to pay reparations to its Black residents, with $400,000 earmarked for eligible Black residents and each qualifying household receiving $25,000 for home repairs or down payments on the property.

 The city has also pledged to distribute $10 million over 10 years. To qualify for the payments, residents must either have lived in or been a direct descendant of a Black person who lived in Evanston between 1919 to 1969 and who suffered discrimination in housing because of city ordinances, policies, or practices.

Detroit established a task force in 2021 to research the scope of what reparations could look like and how to bring the plan to fruition. 

The task force will consider the impact of slavery and systemic racism on Detroit's Black community, including the economic damage done by the destruction of the Black Bottom community during the 1950s and 1960s. The 13 board members are tasked with coming up with a report with recommendations in 18 months.

Other cities, including St. Paul, Minnesota, Asheville, North Carolina, and Providence, Rhode Island, have also established task forces to address reparations. These task forces aim to consider the historical and ongoing impact of slavery and systemic racism on Black communities and to develop recommendations for restorative justice.

 

References 

 

ABC News. (2021, March 3). How the 1st US city to fund reparations pulled it off [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dltleeutto