- The Boston People’s Reparations Commission met Saturday
- Rev. Kevin Peterson said, ‘Every life is incalculable,’ so $15 million is ‘not enough’
The Boston People’s Reparations Commission has demanded the city invest $15 billion in slavery reparations for the Black Bostonian community.
More than 200 community members gathered at a committee meeting Saturday at the Bolling Building in Nubian Square.
They discussed what reparations mean to them and reiterated their demand to invest $15 billion “monetarily and through public policies that will serve Black Bostonians for generations.”
Head of Commission, Reverend Kevin Peterson told WCVB Even if the group asks for $15 billion, it is “not enough” because “every life is incalculable.”
In addition to the $15 billion the city has requested, the Commission is in discussions with Boston’s white churches about a possible $50 million payout.
Commission head Rev. Kevin Peterson told WCVB that even if they ask for $15 billion, it’s “not enough,” saying “every life is incalculable.”
If $15 billion were awarded and distributed to the approximately 150,000 people living in Boston, this would mean that each person would receive almost $99,998. However, it is not clear how the proposed recovery amount would be broken down.
According to the Commission, the enslavement of Africans in Boston began in 1638 and heralded a “legacy of social, political, economic and cultural injustice.”
“At some point during the city’s history, 1 in 10 Boston residents were enslaved people involved in the transatlantic slave trade,” according to their website.
Now their descendants and members of Boston’s black community are demanding reparations for the legacy of prejudice and disadvantage they endured.
They say they are trying to “effectively address the harm caused by the enslavement of Black people in Boston and generations of systemic oppression.”
Peterson told WCVB, “We are thinking of tens of thousands of slaves who died amid slavery in Boston. How do you put a number on that?
“They died in slavery while their white counterparts prospered.”
Charles Yancey, who served on the Boston City Council for 30 years, said Saturday at the Commission event that slaves were once promised their share of wealth once the Civil War ended.
He said: ‘That has yet to happen. Here in the city of Boston, let us set the tone for the United States of America.”
More than 200 community members gathered at a committee meeting Saturday at the Bolling Building in Nubian Square
Boston resident Nick Johnson said, “Reparations are cash. It’s land. It’s education. It is these other features that are included. It’s not just money
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu created a task force in January to investigate and document the city’s role in and historical ties to the transatlantic slave trade.
The group says reparations are about more than just money.
Boston resident Nick Johnson said, “Reparations are cash. It’s land. It’s education. It is these other features that are included. It’s not just money.’
They are also working with local white churches on reparations and a statement recognizing and apologizing for their historic role in the slave trade.
Peterson told WGBH, “Part of my vision was about a statement of reconciliation of this part of our community and this part of the culture of our city.”