Reparations advocates push for payments to Black Americans despite budget and legal challenges

While the measure is being considered by local and state governments across the country, reparations advocates face an uphill battle in some cities, yet remain hopeful.

Cincinnati NAACP President David Whitehead last week urged people not to be opposed to the term "reparation" and to be more receptive to it. 

"I think people get confused and caught up with the word 'reparation,'" Whitehead said. "It’s restoring people that have been unfairly treated."

Whitehead's comments coincided with city talks regarding a new reparations program. The program would offer assistance to "low-to-moderate income residents" and "any individual or family member of an individual who was prevented from buying a home due to discriminatory practices," the Cincinnati Enquirer reported.

While Cincinnati makes progress in advancing reparations, some places face obstacles due to legal pressure or inaction.

ILLINOIS REPARATIONS COMMISSION RELEASES LENGTHY REPORT OF STATE'S 'HARMS' AGAINST BLACK CITIZENS

In Santa Clara, California, the next step for reparations is unclear. 

Santa Clara officials in January approved a discussion to explore how the city could compensate Black residents for historic racist practices. 

"Santa Clara County has a responsibility to confront the harm that has been caused by government systems and policies — including impacts on African Americans here in San Jose and across our region," County Supervisor Betty Duong said at the Jan. 22 meeting.

Lavere Foster, the associate director of the African American Community Services Agency in San Jose, told San Jose Spotlight in February that she has been waiting for the measure to appear on the agenda and would be concerned if the measure is not taken up this month.

"If we get to March and it’s still not on the agenda, then I’d be really concerned," Foster said.

However, the city is currently dealing with budget woes, threatening social security services. 

"We understand that we’re in a time of budget cuts," Foster told San José Spotlight. "But the goal right now isn’t to ask for, say, a $10 million package."

Foster said that San Jose’s vision for the reparations program is beyond strictly dollar amounts. 

"More so as a way to accumulate generational wealth. Whether that’s a package around housing assistance, getting certain loans paid off or cash, we’re hoping to see the county study something that is actionable, that we can then follow up on," he added.

ILLINOIS CITY HANDS OUT $25K CASH PAYMENTS TO 44 BLACK RESIDENTS THROUGH REPARATIONS PROGRAM

Asheville, North Carolina's mayor wants to pursue reparations, but matters are complicated considering legal implications and potential pushback from the Trump administration.

The U.S. Department of Justice sent a letter to Buncombe County in September threatening to investigate and take action if it approves recommendations from the Asheville-Buncombe Community Reparations Commission.

"We have a difficult landscape with this administration, unfortunately," Mayor Esther Manheimer told BPR in an interview in February. "But we're committed to the community to carry out the recommendations of the Reparations Commission." 

Manheimer must overcome a primary race as she runs for re-election to a fourth term. She and her primary opponents were all part of the city council that approved the reparations measure in 2020. When BPR asked what reparations proposal Manheimer would support, she said it's "incredibly complicated."

"I think it would behoove us to move forward on those recommendations that we think are going to be less subject to state and federal challenge," she explained. "So, I think there's a lot there to work with and I'm excited to do that."

Asheville is also trying to recover from an estimated $1.1 billion in damages from Hurricane Helene. Manheimer has reportedly been traveling to Washington, D.C., to lobby for more federal funding to help with recovery. On Tuesday, the city announced $6.9 million in combined state and federal funding toward rebuilding.

Earlier this month, Manheimer testified about their reparations initiative and $30 million budget gap before the House Select Committee on Government Efficiency. Manheimer defended the reparations project, arguing that people who lost homes were "were not adequately compensated."

DEMOCRATIC GOVERNOR FACES PUSHBACK FROM LYNCHING RESEARCH COMMISSION OVER REPARATIONS STANCE

The future of reparations in California appears to be precarious as well after Gov. Gavin Newsom rejected several bills to avoid legal issues and none of his potential successors appear to champion reparations in the gubernatorial race. One of the candidates outright rejected the notion of direct cash payments, which is often associated with reparations efforts.

Lisa Holder, a civil rights attorney and a former member of the state’s Reparations Task Force, reportedly said that advancing reparations would be a long process while advocates search for a champion of the cause. "You can’t legislate yourself out of 400 years of inequality and injustice. You have to do an entire body of laws to change the systems that have been disparately affecting black folks for decades," Holder told KQED on Jan. 19. 

"You now have to put many, many laws in place to change practically every system, whether you’re talking about systems of finance, housing. Laws that require equitable treatment, laws that require affirmative hiring sometimes in industries where Black people were affirmatively not hired."

Manheimer, Holder, Whitehead, and Foster did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

Cash payment reparations was implemented in Evanston, Illinois. Evanston was the first city in the nation to pass a reparations plan, pledging $10 million over a decade to Black residents in November 2019. 

Judicial Watch, a conservative watchdog group, told Fox News Digital earlier this month it filed a lawsuit against Evanston, to stop the city from paying Black residents reparations. The $25,000 payments to Evanston residents are intended to cover housing expenses. The city committed to focus on housing because the issue is "the strongest case for reparations." 

San Francisco’s Reparations Fund is also facing a lawsuit as critics claim the measure is divisive because it solely favors Black residents.