Detroit’s reparations task force now has until 2025 to make its report, but going slow with this challenging work may not be a bad thing

The work of crafting reparations at the municipal level is fierce. Detroiters know. In November 2021, residents voted to create a reparations committee that would make recommendations for housing and economic development programs to address historical discrimination against Black residents. Three years have passed – and Detroiters recently learned the report is delayed. Some folks are wondering: What is taking so long? We are a team of University of Michigan-based scholars of political science and sociology specializing in public opinion and attitudes toward reparations. Our research provides important context for understanding the challenges Detroit’s reparations committee faces. Detroit’s missed deadline The 13-member task force wasn’t officially announced until February 2023. The two-year time lapse resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic and the unexpected passing in July 2022 of former City Council Member JoAnn Watson – a pivotal advocate for reparations. Its membership included three co-chairs appointed by City Council President Mary Sheffield and nine at-large members selected by the council itself. The task force held its first meeting in April 2023. At that time, it was given 18 months to produce a report outlining harms experienced by Black Detroiters and recommendations for reparations. As the October 2024 deadline approached, however, many...