As Boston’s Task Force on Reparations continues to mull a path forward, a local group of Black Bostonians is calling for $15 billion from the city as reparations for slavery and centuries of discrimination.
“It’s really difficult to put a right or wrong number on people’s lives, on lost labor that was given for free,” said Edwin Sumpter, co-director of the Boston People Reparations Commission. “But as an initial number, an initial start, this would be a good number to look at in the city of Boston.”
The Boston People’s Reparations Commission was founded by Rev. Kevin Peterson, head of the New Democracy Coalition, to mobilize the community in the push for cash reparations. The commission is made up of 70 Black Bostonians and holds monthly meetings, Sumpter said.
“Our ultimate goal is repair and reconciliation in Boston, a city plagued by racial strife,” Peterson said in a release Sunday evening.
The commission’s recommendations call for the reparations to be broken into three sections: $5 billion for cash payouts to Black residents, $5 billion focused on education gaps and anti-crime investments, and $5 billion for economic development.
The commission follows the formation of the Boston Task Force on Reparations, comprised of 10 members, in 2022. The city task force was established by the City Council to study the legacy and impact of slavery on Boston and make recommendations for “reparative justice solutions for Black residents.”
Sumpter said the two groups have attended each other’s meetings, and the commission looks forward to the task force recommendations. The commission is not looking for an “us vs. them mentality,” he added, but to ensure the local community is represented in the reparations conversation.
“The important thing is that we’re both in this together, and at no point do we have to allow ourselves to be separated by any outside forces that could interfere with what’s the most important thing here, and that is to uplift, repair and make some reconciliation for Black Boston,” Sumpter said.
Sumpter spoke on the enduring generational crime, homeownership, health, education and other disparities that continue to impact Black families in Boston.
“How about just the wealth gap?” Sumpter said, citing the Color of Wealth report commissioned by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. “The average white family in Boston being worth some $200,000, and African American families just $8. How does that happen? How do you close that gap?”
A stronger Black community in Boston, Sumpter said, is “stronger for the whole city.”
The city is a long way off towards realizing and distributing cash reparations, Sumpter said, and the commission will continue to engage the community in the reparations conversation.
“There’s still much more work to do,” said Sumpter. “This in no way is the end of anything for us. It’s just the beginning.”
The commission will have its next community meeting on March 23 in Dudley Cafe and will hold a hearing with testimony from community members on May 18 in the Boling Building, with more details on events available on their website.