The Georgia Legislative Black Caucus, along with the Georgia NAACP and the Urban League of Greater Atlanta, have requested the formation of a special commission to address reparative justice for the descendants of slavery.
“It repairs the damage that was done to Black people in this state” Georgia NAACP President Gerald Griggs stated. “It’s time to pay the debt. It’s time to listen to the children of the people who were enslaved in Georgia.”
Georgia Equity and Fairness Commission Act, or House Bill 955, is something that state representative Roger Bruce wants implemented.
“We’re pushing to have a study commission developed that will look at the impact slavery has had and is still having on the citizens of Georgia and recommended remedies for the damage that’s been done,” Rep. Bruce stated. “We’re not asking the government to give us anything. This payment is for services rendered.”
The previous year, the Fulton County Board of Commissioners gave the green light to a comparable initiative known as the Fulton County Reparations Task Force. Task Force members initiated efforts to explore avenues for offering reparative justice to the descendants of slaves residing in the county.
In 2023, Robb Pitts, the Chair of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners, expressed interest in the Task Force’s discoveries. However, he remained fundamentally opposed to the idea of reparations.
“Anything that goes from a personal point of view that would deal with a financial contribution, I would have serious issues with that,” Pitts stated.
Rep. Bruce countered that reparations aim to at least attempt to make amends and are not just about financial gain.
“Ways to level the playing field. We’re in a situation where the average white household has 80 times the wealth of the average Black household and that’s because they were able to pass the money from generation to generation,” Rep. Bruce stated.
