AMHERST — With a commitment to set aside $2 million over the next decade to a dedicated reparations fund, outreach is underway to Black, of African heritage residents and those who will benefit from initiatives offered by the town.
The African Heritage Reparation Assembly began its effort to get in touch with folks who may qualify for the program by having a booth at the Amherst Business Improvement District’s Block Party last week, where people could fill out surveys or take cards so they can participate online.
Michele Miller, who co-chairs the assembly, wrote in an email that the idea of the outreach is to let people know the historical reparative justice program is underway so some past harms can be addressed and healed.
The assembly is charged with studying and developing reparation proposals for the town that will further the goals of a resolution, adopted by the Town Council on Dec. 7, 2020, that affirms the town’s commitment to end structural racism and achieve racial equity for Black residents.
People can fill out inclusion forms through an online portal, which can be reached through a QR code or www.engageamherst.org/AHRA.
Miller said the outreach is also using the Black census conducted with the Donahue Institute at the University of Massachusetts, which has identified areas of town where most people of Black and African heritage live, and making sure every effort is made for all eligible individuals and families to participate.
Beyond that, Miller noted that her committee is collaborating with Amherst College student senators who are committed to making a meaningful contribution to the reparations fund and supporting the community engagement campaign through “boots on the ground” work, including canvassing in neighborhoods, where they will go door to door; and coming to engagement events, including the block party, to speak to people and hand out the inclusion portal postcards.
“We’re inspired to be working with these student leaders to develop a deeper understanding of how the college has influenced the town over the past 200 years and to promote more integration between the town and the Amherst College community,” Miller wrote in the email.
One of those student leaders is Sirus Wheaton, the president of the Association of Amherst Students Senate.
Wheaton said he brought the town’s reparations initiative to the attention of other student leaders last spring and since then they have begun exploring the connections that could be made with the town, both by assisting in informing the community about reparations, and the eventual possibility of making a monetary contribution.
“We’re partnering with the activism in town and championing this effort,” said Wheaton, who is one of five college senators helping out. “We don’t yet know the full extent of what can be done.”
While Wheaton said students appreciate that college officials are working on racial understanding and confronting the college’s role in past harms against Black communities, such examinations can take time, and many students will have graduated before campus-based efforts related to reparations will begin.
With the financial commitment established, Miller said the assembly can begin the process of consulting with residents of African heritage to create a robust reparative justice plan. The plan will include eligibility criteria and recommendations about how the funds are to be used, and will be completed by June.
