White people could qualify for $10M black reparations program in Providence
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The city of Providence in Rhode Island allocated $10 million in repairs for black and Native American residents, but the move sparked backlash because some white residents will also be eligible to apply.
Mayor Jorge Elorza signed the budget into law in November to provide the funds to some of the city’s Black and Native American communities, who will automatically qualify for some of its benefits.
But because federal funds can’t be earmarked for specific races, white residents, who make up half the city’s population, can also apply as long as they make less than about $50,000 a year, live in certain neighborhoods and have been residents. in the state for at least three years, according to the Washington Post.
Providence is among several communities across the country now looking to tackle repairs. In California, a nine-person reparations committee is urging that every descendant of slaves in the state receive a ‘housing discrimination’ stipend. If all black people who lived in the state between 1933 and 1977 are taken into account, they say that equals $223,239 each.
The budget was promulgated by the mayor of Providencia, Jorge Elorza, in November
Rhode Island’s move makes it one of a growing number of communities across the country that have sought to implement a black reparations program.
Unlike repair commissions in other parts of the US, the Providence program will not award cash directly to eligible individuals; instead, the money will be used, among other things, to invest in black businesses, media organizations, and schemes to place residents of color in jobs.
Providence will spend about $400,000 on ‘damage recognition’, $1.5 million on ‘media creation and development’ and $300,000 on ‘creating a more equitable health system’.
The city has a population of nearly 190,000 people, 29,000 of whom are black, according to US Census data. Whites make up about 95,000 or 53 percent of the population.
The repair budget was finalized in Rhode Island as part of what was called the COVID-19 Action Budget, which is funded with federal money from the American Rescue Plan Act.
After the stimulus package was enacted, multiple lawsuits were filed in federal courts alleging that the distribution of money based on race or sex is unconstitutional.
Boyce Watkins, who is the founder of The Black Business School, called the budget “the most ridiculous repair program in history.”
The mayor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Unlike other repair programs in the US, none of the money will be paid directly in the form of a cash payment.
The city will spend about $400,000 on ‘damage recognition,’ $1.5 million on ‘media creation and development,’ and $300,000 on ‘creating a more equitable healthcare system.’
Just as protests began to erupt following the death of George Floyd, Mayor Elorza signed an order creating a ‘Truth, Reconciliation and Reparation Committee’
Last year, the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty sued the Department of Agriculture for providing loan forgiveness only to certain racial groups.
“No white farmer will see his loan forgiven,” he said in his lawsuit.
While legislation can sometimes take into account race and sex to remedy discrimination, Supreme Court precedent requires, among other tests, that the government base its action on adequate evidence of discrimination.
Providence’s reparations program went into development in 2020 after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Just as the protests began to break out, Mayor Elorza signed an order creating a ‘Truth, Reconciliation and Reparation Committee’.
That first resulted in efforts to assess the economic costs of discrimination against blacks and descendants of slaves.
Last year he published a 194-page report looking at “the fight for African heritage and equal rights for indigenous peoples in Providence.”