‘Saying sorry’ is not enough: Reparations proposal hangs in the balance

About U.S. is a forum to explore issues of race and identity in the United States. Sign up for the newsletter. Last year, a San Francisco panel came up with a proposal to offer reparations to its Black residents: Some would be eligible for $5 million each. So far, all they’ve received is an apology. “The San Francisco Board of Supervisors offers its deepest apologies to all African Americans and their descendants who came to San Francisco and were victims of systemic and structural discrimination, institutionalize racism, targeted acts of violence, and atrocities” the 8-page resolution reads. The 11-member San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the apology in late February as the first step to addressing more than 100 recommendations outlined by the city’s African American Reparations Advisory Committee. The committee’s recommendations also included establishing an “Afrocentric” K-12 school and introducing mandatory Black history lessons for all grade levels. Reparations advocates say that while an apology is a great first step in any reparations plan, it is merely the first step. “Saying sorry or apologizing is not enough,” said Roy Brooks, a University of San Diego law professor and author of “When Sorry Isn’t Enough: The Controversy Over Apologies...