10 GROUNDCOVER NEWS RACIAL JUSTICE OCTOBER 6, 2023 Area leaders discuss what reparations might look like for Black residents On February 15, 2023, Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners passed a resolution which established the Advisory Council on Reparations. According to the Washtenaw County website, the purpose of the council is to outline the specific ways that county policies and practices have historically and continually harmed the lives of Black people and to develop recommendations for the Board of Commissioners in the form of a Washtenaw Reparations Plan. The plan will include recommendations around specific actions to address and redress the sectors of homeownership and access to other quality affordable housing, increasing business ownership and career opportunities, strategies to grow financial equity and generational wealth, closing the gaps in health care, education, employment and pay, neighborhood safety and fairness within criminal justice. In 2021, the Washtenaw County Racial Equity Office convened a committee of subject matter experts and industry leaders to explore the possibility of economic and social reparations to those in Washtenaw County who experience the on going, compounded, negative impact of the institution of American slavery. The establishment of the Council on Reparations is a continuation and deepening of Washtenaw County’s commitment to Targeted Universalism. To effectively create systems of equity, we must build systems of accountability that begin with committees, and be recommended through the Racial Equity Office with appointments confirmed by the Board of Commissioners. Ann Arbor officials heard calls for MIKE JONES Groundcover vendor No. 113 acknowledging harm and then clear pathways for repair. This Council centers community voice and engagement, encouraging transparency and building community trust. The Chair of the Board of Commissioners shall recommend all appointments to the Advisory Council on Reparations, subject to approval by the full Board of Commissioners. Members of the Advisory Council on Reparations shall, at minimum, represent the following sectors: Housing and Real Estate, Education K-12, Education Post-Secondary, Workforce Development, Economic Development, Health, Art, Civil Rights Law, Criminal Legal System, Food Security, Transit, Faith-Based Community, Environmental Justice and Racial Equity Office. Individuals interested in serving on the Advisory Council on Reparations shall apply consistent with the appointment process utilized by similar boards, commissions and reparations from residents who spoke at their July 6 meeting, at which City Council approved a new law limiting police traffic stops to avoid racial profiling. Several residents expressed hopes the City would take more steps. Mozhgan Savabieasfahani, who plans to run for Council against Eyer in 2024, called for “massive reparations,” saying white people in the United States owe Black people $97 trillion. “And you know why you owe them?” she asked the Council. “Because you extracted free labor from them, hundreds of years, and you piled it up, and you became the rich people that you are today. ... Start thinking about giving it back.” The $97 trillion figure some cite is based on estimates the U.S. benefited from over 222 million hours of forced labor between 1619 and the abolition of slavery in 1865. Ann Arbor officials acknowledge policies like exclusionary zoning, racially restrictive covenants and deed restrictions historically kept Black people out of various neighborhoods. As a result of systemic racism, Black families lagged in building generational wealth and officials acknowledge many Black people have been priced out of an increasingly expensive Ann Arbor. Lefiest Galimore, who applied to Lefiest Galimore, longtime Ann Arbor resident. serve on the Washtenaw County Advisory Council on Reparations but was not chosen, said he’s lived in Ann Arbor since 1971 and watched as neighborhoods where other Black families once lived have become gentrified and many Black people today can’t afford homes where they grew up. “That’s an injustice,” he said, agreeing reparations are needed across the U.S. for descendants of people who were enslaved and helped build the country and its wealth. I had a chance to talk and interview Mr. Galimore. He said, “County and City leaders should be more transparent with the Black community on the issue of reparations and to seek their input on reparations because one person might see reparations in one way and another person might see it another way, so the Black community should be informed and start having real discussions on the issues on how reparations would look like for Black residents in Washtenaw County.” LATINX from page 5 Latinos. Latinos or Hispanic Americans now have enormous political power. About 17% of registered voters in Florida are Latino/Hispanic Americans. The Democratic and Republican parties compete for their votes. With each Census Bureau’s report of Hispanic/Latino population growth, the share of that community’s vote in the U.S. continues to grow. The PEW Research Center’s findings on the topic of “Hispanic/ Latino Voters” and the “Hispanics and the Future of America” manuscript published by the National Institute of Health National Library of Medicine especially the section titled, “Latino Civic and Political Participation” are great sources of information on the political power of Hispanic/Latino Americans. Conclusion Many universities, colleges and K-12 schools in Washtenaw County and across the nation are celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month with stories, lectures, conversations, dancing, music and of course, their ethnic foods. Civic leadership, cultural diversity and arts/entertainment representation are additional areas of progress. In his September 12 proclamation, President Biden noted that he valued the leadership of his four Latino Cabinet Members. There are several members of the House of Representatives who are Hispanic or Latino. The U.S. Senate has two Latino members from California and New Jersey. Within the past ten years singers and artists such as Selena Gomez, Bad Bunny, Cabello, Anitta, and other young Latino/Hispanics have made waves in - the music entertainment industry. The representation of young Latino musicians and young Hollywood/Broadway actors is much better than a generation ago. However, some actors who are among the six million Latino Americans who identify as “Afro Latinos” told BuzzFeed that “white Latinos or lighter skinned Latinos are often favored for roles, leaving “Afro Latinos with fewer opportunities to shine.” Many critics have condemned Hollywood’s lack of inclusivity.
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