The Boston Task Force on Reparations is demanding that “white churches” pay “tens of millions of dollars” towards reparations for slavery. The call follows a February call for Boston to pay $15 billion in reparations to its black population.
“We call sincerely and with a heart filled with faith and Christian love for our white churches to join us and not be silent around this issue of racism and slavery and commit to reparations,” said Rev. Kevin Peterson following a conference between black and white clergymen in Roxbury arranged by the Boston People’s Reparations Commission.
“We point to them in Christian love to publicly atone for the sins of slavery and we ask them to publicly commit to a process of reparations where they will extend their great wealth — tens of millions of dollars among some of those churches — into the black community,” Peterson continued.
Peterson added that a proposal letter was sent to multiple churches, signed by 16 clergy members and faith leaders, urging them to support reparations with cash payments, to establish affordable housing, and support new financial and economic foundations in the black community.
The older city churches, namely Arlington Street Church, Trinity Church, and Old South Church, as well as King’s Chapel downtown were among the reported recipients of the demand letter.
Once considered the outlandish fringe demand of racial separatists, the idea of reparations for slavery is gaining traction. Last year, New York established its own commission on slavery reparations. Earlier this year, New York Democratic Congressman Jamaal Bowman demanded the government print $14 trillion for reparations.
