Boston activists want $5 billion in cash reparations for Black residents, report says

BOSTON, Mass. (TND) — Boston activists are pushing city leaders to issue $15 billion in reparations to its Black residents, including $5 billion of direct cash payments, the Boston Herald reported. The demands come from the Boston People’s Reparations Commission, a local group trying to persuade a government taskforce created to provide recommendations to Mayor Michelle Lu on “reparative justice for Black residents.” Its demand calls for $5 billion in cash payouts to Black residents, $5 billion for education and anti-crime initiatives and $5 billion for economic development. The wealth of this city was built on slavery,” taskforce chairman Rev. Kevin Peterson said. “And the city is responsible to pay back the wealth they extracted free of charge from other human beings who died at some point in the labor for this city.” The population of Boston was 650,706 in 2022, according to U.S. Census data. With an estimated 22.5% of the population identifying as Black, about 146,409 individuals could qualify for a roughly $34,150 share of the cash payments, though it is unclear whether or not a system would be created to track descendants of slaves. The group’s recommendations far surpass Boston’s fiscal year 2024 budget, which sits at...