Reparations have always been a touchy subject for some people, but residents in one Maryland city are ready to open the door for conversation.
The city of Greenbelt passed a referendum Tuesday to create a commission that focuses on recommending possible reparations for African Americans and Native Americans, according to the Associated Press. It is the first time in history that a U.S. city has placed reparations on a ballot for voters.
Greenbelt was created as a part of former President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal plan during the Great Depression. While Black people helped build the affordable suburban community, according to NBC, they weren’t allowed to buy any property there. Homeownership is an important tool for wealth building and federal laws stopped Black people from accumulating generations of wealth.
The 21-member commission will research the possibilities for local reparations and recommend what they find, NBC 4 Washington reports.
From AP:
The idea was proposed by Mayor Colin Byrd and the city council voted in August to put the referendum on the ballot, news outlets report. Byrd has said that reparations could reverse harm to families of color and reduce the racial wealth gap.
The city in the Washington, D.C, suburbs is one of three planned communities created as part of the New Deal to provide work and affordable homes, but federal laws prohibited Black people from buying homes. The city has grown to 23,000 residents, with nearly 47 percent identifying as Black or African American, according to census data.
“It’s a discussion that needs to happen,” a resident of Greenbelt, Neil Williamson, told NBC Washington. “Greenbelt with its history, you know, it’s a really sad, bad history.”
According to AP, Chondria Andrews, a spokeswoman for the city, said that the referendum passed with 1,522 voters for it and 910 voters against it.
According to AP, Chondria Andrews, a spokeswoman for the city, said that the referendum passed with 1,522 voters for it and 910 voters against it.