Race and reconciliation—local leaders, non-profits take on $5 million research project amid talks of reparations

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC)- Reparations—the word that deeply divides our nation. After the Shelby County Commission approved $5 million in 2023 to study reparations, Tennessee Republicans immediately tried to ban the effort at the state level but were unsuccessful. More than a year later, how has that $5 million been spent? Action News 5 learned this week that most of the money has been distributed to half a dozen non-profits across Memphis and Shelby County. These groups are now tasked with developing programs and data that will help narrow the racial wealth gap. “Ultimately, we want this to be as widespread as possible,” pastor and activist Rev. Dr. Earle Fisher of Abyssinian Missionary Baptist Church in Whitehaven told Action News 5. Fisher is a driving force behind the study. His church hosted the first meeting of the racial reconciliation ad-hoc committee, consisting of community stakeholders from the Black Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Real Estate Brokers, along with members from the fields of mental healthcare, education, and criminal justice. “I think people have an underdeveloped understanding of what reparations is,” said Rev. Fisher, “there’s some valuable information that is needed so that local governments can initiate programs and...