Detroit’s reparations task force and the Black Audit Project this week are hosting a series of town halls to better understand how racial discrimination affects residents. 

The Black Audit Project was founded by Justin Hansford, a delegate to the United Nations and executive director of the Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center at Howard University. The audit project aims to measure the well-being of African-descendant populations, and has expanded since visiting 13 cities in 2022 for a presentation before a UN forum. 

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Findings from this week’s engagements will also be used by Detroit’s Reparations Task Force to develop a report on historic discrimination against Black residents. The task force set a Nov. 1 date to provide reparations policy recommendations to the Detroit City Council. 

Three town hall sessions are scheduled this week:

• Monday, March 11, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Historic King Solomon Church, 6100 14th St.
• Tuesday, March 12, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Alkebulan Village, 7701 Harper Ave.
• Wednesday, March 13 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Eat at Bert’s, 2458 Brush St. 

The task force in January authorized a partnership with Howard University and Columbia University as part of the African American Redress Network. It’s also working with the University of Michigan to study policies, programs, and government decisions that disadvantaged Black Detroiters. 

“One part of reparations is about apology and acknowledgement, another part of reparations deals redress and recompense in some form or another,” said Earl Lewis, director of the Center for Social Solutions at U-M. “The third part is a guarantee to never do it again.” 

Detroit’s task force was assembled by the City Council in February 2023 at the direction of voters who passed a 2021 ballot initiative. It meets on the first Saturday of each month at alternating locations on the east and west sides of Detroit. The task force’s next business meeting is scheduled for 2 p.m. April 4 at Northwest Activities Center.

“This is about a debt that is owed because of our ancestors’ free labor that benefited the country,” said Kedar Brown, a Detroit resident who has been following the city’s task force since it was established. “The country became a world superpower largely based on free labor.” 

Detroit is part of a national movement to study municipal reparations, which is distinct from longtime efforts to create a federal reparations commission. Michael Imhotep, founder of The African History Network, said local efforts have more potential to empower community members and create solutions with their input. 

Some Detroit residents have expressed frustration with the task force over a lack of public engagement. Pamela Dewberry last month told members that “a lot of us are waiting” to be included in this once-in-a-generation opportunity.  

“When you get called out on the red carpet, you get burns if you don’t cross it the right way,” Dewberry said. “I just want things done. You should be listening and taking things that will take the task force forward. Where are we at right now? We are nowhere.”

The task force’s Program Manager Emberly Vick said public engagement is improving after her hiring earlier this year. The task force updated its website with a financial report, meeting calendar and minutes from past meetings.

“We want to hear from the public at every possible opportunity,” Vick said. “We also encourage public comment during our public meetings and are seriously taking the experiences and expertise of the Detroit community into consideration as we begin to think about what should go into our recommendations to the Detroit City Council.”

Vick said residents can submit comments or send questions to reparations@detroitmi.gov. She’s monitoring the email account to collect insight from Detroiters.

Technical issues continued to prevent residents who tuned in for the online broadcast in March from participating in public comment. The meeting abruptly ended when attendees spoke out of turn to criticize the board’s commitment to involving residents. 

In response to the demand for more robust discussions between residents and the task force, Co-Chair Keith Williams told BridgeDetroit that he is interested in creating listening sessions entirely dedicated to public comment.