DETROIT, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Slavery was officially outlawed in the United States on December 6, 1865, when the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified. This amendment abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, freeing four million slaves, about one-eighth of the population at the time.

Almost 160 years later, Detroit is inching towards addressing what some consider to be generational harms due to systemic discrimination with the city’s Reparations Task Force. The Task Force is a 13- member body consisting of four executive members appointed by Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield and nine general members. Its goal is to develop “recommendations for housing and economic development programs that address historical discrimination against the Black community in Detroit.”

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However, according to the Detroit Free Press, they are facing more than a few hurdles as they prepare a long-awaited report.

Charged with recommending reparative actions for historic systemic injustices against Black Detroiters, the task force has spent over a year wrestling with turnover, community frustrations, and the complex logistics of righting wrongs from decades past. However, despite the deadline extension to March 2025, it appears the road to reparations is still under construction.

All talk, few checks: the funding puzzle remains.

The task force, which is tackling issues like overtaxed Black homeowners, inadequate school resources, and infrastructure woes, has gathered ample community input. Calls for upgraded schools, safe drinking water, lower auto insurance rates and even cash payments highlight the demands, yet the looming question remains: who’s footing the bill?

Task force co-chair Cidney Calloway made one thing clear: city funds are off-limits. “Detroit is such a unique situation,” she pointed out, noting that using city funds would, in effect, be Black Detroiters paying themselves. Instead, the task force eyes corporations and institutions that, historically, might have profited from Detroit’s marginalized communities.

Suggestions include “slavery redress” ordinances targeting large corporations with Detroit business interests – a bold approach to right past wrongs, but one with legal and practical hurdles of its own.

Who pays, who benefits? The question of equity.

“Write me a check” sounds simple enough, but the reality is more complex. Task force member Dr. Jeffrey Robinson notes that funding must be reliable and large-scale. His solution? A perpetual revenue stream from local sources, like Detroit’s professional sports franchises, though city officials have yet to act on any such proposals.

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The task force has also contemplated establishing a trust fund specifically for Black Detroiters, a move that could offer long-term benefits – if the logistics can be ironed out. With each proposal,

skepticism surfaces about whether Detroit’s government can equitably manage any funds without adding to past injustices.

It appears, in whatever scenario they work out, the funding will be mandated and targeted to individuals and/or businesses who most likely haven’t had anything to do with slavery or any other injustices to the Black population. And what will be the criteria to decide if they have or not?

Drafting dreams or delays? A report still pending.

While Calloway believes the group has “hit their stride,” frustrations linger. The task force recently hired a writer to handle the report’s complex documentation, though some community members see this as a stalling tactic. Residents like 54-year-old Lamont Corbin, who’s attended multiple meetings, express doubt that the task force will meet the March deadline. “I’m very pragmatic,” he noted, pointing to the slow pace and legal hoops as potential roadblocks.

But patience may be a virtue the task force can’t afford to test. With demands mounting, from structural improvements to potential cash payments, the task force must eventually turn ideas into actionable plans – or risk losing the community’s support altogether.

In the end, Detroit’s reparations task force is charting a path that is both unprecedented and fraught with challenge. Whether they’ll produce meaningful change or more meetings remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: the clock is ticking.