Black community activists in Boston are demanding reparations from local churches and the city, accusing them of benefiting from and supporting slavery and institutional racism.
Leaders are calling on “white churches” founded in the 17th-18th centuries to donate tens of millions to black communities in atonement.
“We call sincerely and with a heart filled with faith and Christian love for our white churches to join us and not be silent around this issue of racism and slavery and commit to reparations,” activist Rev. Kevin Peterson stated.
“We are coming to get our check.”
Black churches demand reparations from White churches.
It’s all so tiresome. pic.twitter.com/fDUn66hSve
— iamyesyouareno (@iamyesyouareno) March 25, 2024
“We point to them in Christian love to publicly atone for the sins of slavery, and we ask them to publicly commit to a process of reparations where they will extend their great wealth — tens of millions of dollars among some of those churches — into the black community,” Peterson added.
“They unfortunately assisted in sustaining institutionalized racism across the city,” Peterson said. “Not only are we looking at the period of slavery, we’re looking at three centuries of institutionalized anti-black racism and the Catholic Church is inclusive of the churches we want to engage.”
They also want Boston to allocate $15 billion to reparations.
“Beginning in the 17th century, all of our colonial churches were founded on the profits of slavery. Colonial ministers were among the most likely to have enslaved servants,” Rev. John E. Gibbons said.
While some church leaders acknowledge historical ties to slavery, others see Christianity as central to ending it.
“Black people, the descendants of slavery have been washing the feet of our oppressors for well over 400 years,” Prophetic Resistance Boston director Danielle Williams said. “Now it’s time for you to wash our feet. The descendants of slavery, we want our reparations. We want it now.”
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