Researchers on Boston’s reparations task force can be a template for other American cities, says Bay State Banner’s Ron Mitchell

Jeremy Siegel: This is GBH’s Morning Edition. Boston is taking a major step towards reparations. Officials announced plans last year to form a task force to research Boston’s role in the transatlantic slave trade and address ways the city can try to undo the harms it caused for Black residents. And now, the city has chosen the group of academics and experts who will be leading that effort. For the latest on this, I’m joined by Ron Mitchell, editor and publisher of the Bay State Banner. Good morning, Ron. Ron Mitchell: Good morning. Siegel: So who is on this task force, and what will they be doing? Mitchell: Well, the task force is made up of two different scholarly groups, one from Northeastern and the other from Tufts. The team led from the Northeastern team will be led by [Prof.] Margaret Burnham, who’s a former judge and the current head of the Civil Rights and Restoration Justice Project at Northeastern. She’ll also be working with Ted Landsmark, who is a Northeastern University professor of public policy and urban affairs, as well as a number of other folks on the team, including Richard O’Bryant, who’s the director of the John D....