Election Day 2021: Cities to vote on reparations commissions for Black Americans

Detroit, Michigan – The push for Black reparations is gaining ground across the US, and on Tuesday, voters in two more cities will get the chance to have their say on whether to form local reparations commissions.

Black Lives Matter protesters rally in Detroit on the one-year anniversary of George Floyd's murder.
Black Lives Matter protesters rally in Detroit on the one-year anniversary of George Floyd's murder.  © IMAGO / NurPhoto

The movement to acknowledge and make up for past and present injustice has seen a significant jump in momentum at the federal and state, but especially at the local, levels after the murder of George Floyd.

A number of cities in Democratic strongholds across the country are voting to create reparations commissions and programs.

Now, Detroit, Michigan, and Greenbelt, Maryland, are poised to become the next two localities in the post-George Floyd era to set up a reparations commission. Voters are heading to the ballot box on Tuesday to decide just that.

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"Should the City of Detroit establish a reparations committee to make recommendations for housing and economic development programs that address historical discrimination against the Black community in Detroit?" Motor City's Proposal R reads.

If approved, the commission would not have the power to enact a reparations program. They would simply be tasked with developing proposals to remedy generations of racial discrimination and disenfranchisement.

The recommendations should include "housing and economic development programs that address historical discrimination against the Black community in Detroit," according to the resolution.

Meanwhile, the Greenbelt proposal calls for a 21-member committee to study and draft recommendations not only for Black-American but also for Indigenous residents in the area.

Again, voting to form the commission does not actually mean Greenbelt will carry out any potential recommendations – but it's a first step in the right direction.

Cover photo: IMAGO / NurPhoto

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