The City of Amherst, Massachusetts, is working on providing aid and giving its Black citizens reparations.
What We Know:
- The nation has been witnessing several cities getting involved in giving back to its Black Citizens. The City of Amherst, home to the University of Massachusetts, is moving forward in providing reparations for its black citizens. The idea of delivering financial assistance for Black Amherst residents all started with a petition by two yoga instructors. According to reports, the petition’s founders wanted to provide comfort for the city’s black residents while dealing with the nation’s outcry due to racist and malicious acts.
- The petition was proposed last year sometime after the death of George Floyd. “What we’re hoping to move toward to is a community that is built on common ground, built on actual equality, and built on respect,” said Matthew Andrews, Co-founder of the petition. The Founders of the petition also claim that some of the reasons for disparities black people face in Amherst are due to restrictions on housing and being denied educational opportunities in the past.
- According to a document by the city, Amherst has a long history of not properly serving its black citizens. The report notes that black people in Amherst did the hard labor that whites didn’t want to do, such as removing rocks from the highways and digging ditches. The document also mentions the history of enslavement in discrimination in the city.
- Many people have different ideas on what reparations could be. Some believe it can come in the form of landmarks and monuments, while others believe some financial payment would do the job. Reports show a professor at Umass believes that notable black figures who have been involved from the area, such as James Baldwin, should have monuments.
Perhaps the number of cities involved in this movement will set an example for others to follow.
