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Boston Mayor Wu to announce members of reparations task force

BOSTON — Boston Mayor Michelle Wu on Tuesday will announce the members of its newly formed reparations task force, which aims to study racial inequality and its effects on generations of families.

The Boston City Council voted to create this task force at the end of last year. The goal is to analyze how it can provide reparations to Black people living in Boston who were impacted by the city’s role in slavery.

So, what will the task force do? It will examine reparation models and study disparities that have existed in Boston. It will also collect data on historic harms and hold hearings to gather testimony on problems black Bostonians have faced.

The panel will make recommendations for reparations, and it can also suggest eliminating any policies or laws that continue to cause harm to Black Bostonians.

Similar committees like this are popping up across the country. Evanston, Illinois, became the first city to make reparations available for Black residents.

In Providence, the mayor signed a $10 million budget into law allowing the city to use federal COVID-19 funding on reparation efforts, such as workforce training, financial literacy, and homeownership.

Wu will announce the board members at 1:30 p.m. The task force will provide its initial findings within 24 months.

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