Black grassroots group to demand ‘cash payouts’ reparations from City of Boston related to slavery

BOSTON — A grassroots group of Black activists are demanding “cash payouts” from the City of Boston in reparations related to slavery and “centuries of institutional racism,” the group said in a statement Friday. In the statement, the Rev. Kevin Peterson, founder of the New Democracy Coalition and the Boston People’s Reparations Commission, said the group is asking city officials to “fully commit to writing checks” to compensate Black Bostonians, in a move that would be “part of a comprehensive reparations project.” “The reparations effort in Boston will not be domesticated into simple historical studies and meaningless rhetoric about equity and diversity in some future time,” Peterson said. “We call on the Task Force to fully commit to writing checks that will compensate Black Bostonians and fiscally support the creation of new institutions in our community.” A press conference will be held on the topic at 2 p.m. on Saturday at the Dudley Cafe, Nubian Square, 115 Warren St., Roxbury. Rev. Kevin Peterson (New Democracy Coalition website) During that press conference, “Rev. Peterson will announce a specific ‘initial’ monetary payout to Boston’s Black residents,” organizers said in their statement. Peterson authored legislation that “successfully resulted in the City of Boston...