The effort to provide reparations to African American San Franciscans took another step towards becoming a reality after the Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to establish the Reparations Fund at its Tuesday meeting.
The resolution simply creates the fund, but no money has been allocated to it. The vote was praised by District 10 Supervisor Shamann Walton, who said it moved the city from “apology to action.” Walton led the African American Reparations Advisory Committee, or AARAC, in 2020 to develop recommendations for repairing the harm done to the city’s African American residents.
Two years ago, it released a nearly 400-page report detailing more than 100 recommendations. These included providing a one-time, lump sum payment for eligible residents, supplementing income to ensure that qualifying households make the Area Median Income, and setting up a debt forgiveness program.
According to the ordinance, money set aside for the fund could go “to individuals who are Black and/or descendants of a chattel enslaved person and have experienced a proven harm in San Francisco.”
Any use of funds would have to undergo approval processes and oversight. The San Francisco Human Rights Commission will manage the fund.
