(ReclaimingAmerica.net) – The Boston People’s Reparations Commission is advocating for the liberal city to allocate $15 billion toward slavery reparations for the Black community in Boston.
This demand was made during a meeting of over 200 community members held in the Bolling Building in Nubian Square.
During the gathering, participants shared their perspectives on the significance of reparations.
They said they expected the $15 billion to be used both monetarily and in shaping public policies that will benefit Black Bostonians for generations to come.
Commission head Reverend Kevin Peterson told WCVB that although the group is requesting $15 billion, this amount still falls short as “every life is incalculable.”
In addition to seeking funds from the city, the Commission is engaging with Boston’s white churches to discuss a potential $50 million contribution to reparations.
If the requested $15 billion is approved and distributed among approximately 150,000 Boston residents, each individual could receive nearly $99,998. However, details on how the funds would be divided remain unspecified.
The Commission traces the origins of African enslavement in Boston back to 1638, which they argue started a longstanding “legacy of social, political, economic and cultural injustice.”
Their website notes that at one historical point, one in ten Bostonians were enslaved individuals linked to the trans-Atlantic slave trade.
The push for reparations allegedly stems from a desire to address the effects of slavery and systemic oppression that descendants and members of Boston’s Black community have faced.
“We think about tens of thousands of slaves who died in the midst of slavery in Boston. How do you put a number on that? They died in slavery while their white counterparts flourished,” Peterson told WCVB.
Former Boston City Council member Charles Yancey remarked during the event that slaves were once promised a share of wealth after the Civil War.
“That has yet to happen. Let’s set the tone for the United States of America right here in the city of Boston,” he stated.
In response to these issues, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu created a task force in January to investigate the city’s involvement in the slave trade and its historical connections.
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