DECATUR, Ga. — The city of Decatur unanimously voted to establish a reparations task force.
In addition to the creation of the reparations task force, the city has also issued a public apology.
“The City extends a full and public apology to the Black residents of Decatur—past and present— and their descendants, for its role in perpetuating discrimination, oppression, subjugation and the resulting harms, profiting from policies rooted in the system of white supremacy,” the resolution stated.
Officials say the move comes after a resolution that detailed how Black and indigenous residents of the city were systematically discriminated against for more than 200 years.
According to the resolution, “the City of Decatur formally acknowledges its past role in the systemic oppression of people of African descent through enslavement, human trafficking, convict-labor, discriminatory zoning and development, underinvestment in African American communities, school segregation, racially biased policing, the destruction of African American-owned property, businesses, and institutions and the displacement and erasure of the Beacon Hill community, people and culture.”
The task force is required to present a final report 36 months after it is formed.
Sign Up
