A grassroots activist group has called for payouts from the City of Boston to its Black residents as a form of reparation for decades of slavery.
Call for Reparations
Last Friday a Black grassroots activism group known as the Boston People’s Reparations Commission called for the City of Boston to $15 billion in reparations for slavery and “centuries of institutional racism.”
Kevin Peterson Makes a Statement
The call came in the form of a statement from the Rev. Kevin Peterson, a public figure in Boston who founded both the commission and the New Democracy Coalition who spoke on behalf of the group.
A City “Built on Slavery”
“The wealth of this city was built on slavery, and the city is responsible to pay back the wealth they extracted free of charge from other human beings who died at some point in the labor for this city,” said Peterson.
“Comprehensive Reparations Project”
The Commission is calling for a “comprehensive reparations project” funded by a $15 billion reparations payout that would go toward Black residents of the city.
Three Separate Payments
The proposed amount would be split into three equal but separate payments, with one-third sent out in the form of direct payments to Black Bostonians, the second put toward new financial institutions, and the third payment used to fund anti-crime measures and racial education gaps in the city.
Compensation for Lost Lives and Lost Wages
Peterson called for the city to provide “full monetary compensation for lost wages and lost lives through slavery and anti-Black institutional oppression,” from city mayor Michelle Wu.
Material Change is Needed
He argued that “meaningless rhetoric about equity and diversity,” were not enough, and material change through financial compensation was needed to boost the well-being of Black residents and help to establish new institutions for the Black Bostonian community.
“Money is Owed”
“The reality is that labor and lives were stolen from Blacks in Boston. Money is owed. A debt must be paid in dollars,” he insisted.
Boston Reparations Task Force
The group’s statement came less than a month after the Bostonian Reparations Task Force appointed new members to its team.
A Force for Change
The task force was established in 2022 by Mayor Wu’s request through a City Council ordinance.
Its purpose is to examine the city’s history of white supremacy and racial discrimination and develop reparations proposals.
Calling Out the Task Force
Peterson and the Commission addressed the task force directly, urging them to “fully commit to writing checks that will compensate Black Bostonians and fiscally support the creation of new institutions in our community.”
Calls for Reparations Grow
The call for Black reparations has formed a movement over the last decade and received much public attention in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement and the death of George Floyd in 2020.
Is It Reasonable?
However, some critics of the Commission’s reparations request believe that the amount is an unfair and unreasonable expectation to place on residents.
Compared to the $15b proposal, the Boston City Council budget for the 2024 fiscal year is only $4.2b.
Potentially Divisive
They also believe that reparations payments will only provoke division between Black and non-Black citizens.
It could also cause fiery debate around the lack of direct financial reparations for Native Americans.
Tide May be Turning
What’s more, polling shows that reparations proposals are growing increasingly unpopular amongst non-Black taxpayers, who would shoulder most of the financial burden.
Support Declines
Tatishe Nteta, who is the director of the Amherst Poll at the University of Massachusetts, affirmed that “support for a federal reparations program has declined by 4 percent among all Americans.”
A Changing Conversation
This is not specific to non-black or Republican citizens either, as “Democrats, liberals and African Americans all have exhibited steep declines in their level of support for the program since 2021,” according to Nteta.
California Leads the Way
The Commission’s statement comes less than a year after the state of California’s own reparations task force approved a list of proposals for compensation to Black residents to make up for centuries of racial discrimination.
14 Bills for Reparation
The task force was believed to be a model for the rest of the U.S., and in January, they proposed 14 bills for reparation, which included an official state apology for the legacy of slavery, the return of unfairly seized property to black families, and more.
Cash Proposals Canceled
However, officials backpedaled on a proposed $1.2 million payout per individual resident, as it is unlikely the state could afford to shoulder the cost, and no other cash payouts were included in the new proposal.
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