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Officials in San Francisco have formally apologized to Black residents and their descendants for the city's role in perpetuating racist and discriminatory policies for decades. On Tuesday (February 27), all 11 members of the Board of Supervisors unanimously signed a seven-page apology resolution as part of a larger plan for reparations for Black people living in the area, per NBC News.
“This historic resolution apologizes on behalf of San Francisco to the African American community and their descendants for decades of systemic and structural discrimination, targeted acts of violence, atrocities, as well as committing to the rectification and redress of past policies and misdeeds,” Supervisor Shamann Walton, the only Black member on the board, said. “We have much more work to do but this apology most certainly is an important step."
This is the first reparations recommendation with over 100 proposals by a city committee to score approval, according to reporters.
San Francisco's African American Reparations Advisory Committee also proposed every eligible Black adult receive a guaranteed income of nearly $100,000 per year and a $5 million lump-sum cash payment to bridge the racial wealth gap in the city. This is one of several proposals that haven't seen action yet.
The California city joins Boston as the only major metropolitan hubs to formally apologize for its role in perpetuating racist policies. San Francisco's resolution also recognized that nine states have previously apologized for their history of slavery.
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