By Leftwing activists have begun demanding that churches pay “reparations” to the black community of Boston because of “racial inequities” that go back to the trans-Atlantic slave trade, according to reports.
The move comes in a city that was one of the first to ban slavery in North America and served as a hotbed for antislavery activism throughout the decades before the Civil War.
Slavery was effectively abolished in Massachusetts with the 1780 Massachusetts Constitution, which was the first state constitution to explicitly declare all men to be born free and equal. This effectively ended legal slavery in the state even though slavery had been gradually declining in Massachusetts due to various legal decisions and social movements.
A group of clergy members in Boston are seeking $15 billion in slavery reparations and want ‘white churches’ to cough up the cash. It’s not clear which faith qualifies as the white church, but that’s the language they use, as you’ll see in the video below, writes Mike LaChance at Legal Insurrection.
The Boston Task Force on Reparations called on “White churches” to step up and pay the Black community back for racial inequities that root back to the trans-Atlantic slave trade, according to reports.
The Boston Globe reported that Black and White clergy members met in Roxbury for a press conference intended to be held outside, though it was instead held in the basement of the Resurrection Lutheran Church on Saturday because of rain.
The commission was established through a 2022 Boston City Council ordinance and made up of 10 members, including two from the youth community.
LaChance believes that the reason activists have gone from attacking Boston to demanding funds from churches revolves around the city, along with the State of Massachusetts, no longer having spare money after spending tens fo millions to shelter illegal immigrants.
He pointed to a Boston Herald article which noted that “Massachusetts is spending about $75 million each month on state-run shelters, a massive jump in expenses that comes as Gov. Maura Healey’s administration is expected to run out of cash for emergency services in early to mid-April without another financial infusion.
Beacon Hill lawmakers have spent most of the new year putting together a plan to pay soaring shelter bills just as state revenues have consistently come in below expectations, Washington has offered no help, and demand on services continues to persist at historic levels.
With cash likely running out ahead of an April time window, the Legislature is now locked in negotiations over a new spending plan that could allow Healey to access dollars at a critical moment. Top budget writers say they are confident they can find a compromise before time runs out.”
Sixteen religious leaders signed the demand letter and mailed it to “white” churches in the Boston area, reported Fox News.
“The group calls on churches to provide cash payments while also helping to create affordable housing and back new financial institutions ‘in Black Boston.’
The letter was reportedly sent to Arlington Street Church, Trinity Church and Old South Church in Back Bay, King’s Chapel in downtown Boston. All four churches were established in the 17th and 18th centuries, Peterson told the publication.
During Saturday’s press conference, Rev. John E. Gibbons of Arlington Street Church told reporters multiple churches are researching their history and discussing reparations.
“That is not enough,” Gibbons said. “Somehow we need to move with some urgency toward action and so part of what we’re doing is to prod and encourage white churches to go beyond what they have done thus far.”
The New York Post wrote that the activist “advocated for the $15 billion to come in three distinct types of payments.
One form of payment would be $5 billion of cash payments to Boston’s black residents, another would be $5 billion to invest in new financial institutions, and the remaining $5 billion would go toward addressing the racial disparities in education and anti-crime measures.
The amount is more than three times the annual budget in Boston, which was set at $4.28 billion for fiscal year 2024.”
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