Boston religious leaders have demanded that “white churches” give millions of dollars in reparations to the city’s black community.
Activist clergy also asked them to back a push for the city of Boston to pay $15 billion in reparations for its historic role in the slave trade.
The event at Resurrection Lutheran Church was organized by the People’s Reparations Commission of Boston, which filed the $15 billion lawsuit.
One of the speakers was the Rev. Kevin Peterson, who wants to rename the market Faneuil Hall because Peter Faneuil, the wealthy merchant who built it, was a prominent slave trader in the 18th century.
‘We make a sincere call with a heart full of faith and Christian love to our white churches to join us and not be silent on this issue of racism and slavery and to commit to reparations,’ he said.
Boston religious leaders demanded that “white churches” give millions of dollars in reparations to the city’s black community at an event at Resurrection Lutheran Church.
‘We direct you with Christian love to publicly atone for the sins of slavery and ask you to publicly commit to a reparation process.
“Where they will extend their great wealth (tens of millions of dollars between some of those churches) to the black community.”
Peterson said a letter signed by 16 clergy, both white and black, was sent to churches where the group wanted to participate in making reparations.
The letter detailed ways reparations could be paid for, including in cash or by creating affordable housing or “financial and economic institutions in Black Boston.”
The churches named in the latter were King’s Chapel, Arlington Street Church, Trinity Church and Old South Church.
These churches were built in the 1600s and 1700s, and hundreds of slaves were owned by clergy and parishioners.
The Rev. Kevin Peterson said a letter signed by 16 clergy, both white and black, was sent to churches where the group wanted to participate in making reparations.
The Rev. John Gibbons of Arlington Street Church also spoke at the event and said churches were researching their history and discussing reparations, but that was not enough.
“Somehow we need to move with some urgency toward action and so part of what we are doing is pushing and encouraging white churches to go beyond what they have done so far,” he said.
King’s Chapel published research that found 219 slaves were owned by ministers and church members over hundreds of years of its history.
Old South Church also released a report on its historical ties to slavery, and its minister, the Rev. John Edgerton, agrees with the group’s effort.
“The Old South is committed to learning the truth about our history and making amends; the God who loves justice demands no less,” he told the Boston Globe.
Baptist leader Archbishop Leo Edward said the United States failed to provide the ’40 acres and a mule’ promised to enslaved people and needed to do so now.
Do you know how many acres are? The prisons! And the mules (are) the prisoners,’ he said on the spot.
Peterson also singled out the Catholic Church, even though it was banned in Massachusetts until the state constitution was passed in 1780.
“Unfortunately they helped maintain institutionalized racism throughout the city,” he said.
“We are not only facing the period of slavery, we are facing three centuries of institutionalized racism against black people and the Catholic Church includes the churches that we want to engage with.”
The Rev. John Gibbons of Arlington Street Church also spoke at the event and said churches were researching their history and discussing reparations, but that was not enough.
The Archdiocese of Boston said that “the suffering of the black community is constantly with us in the Commonwealth and nationally” and that it will “certainly review what they have proposed in the coming days.”
Cardinal Archbishop of Boston Seán O’Malley wrote in a blog in 2020 that the U.S. government did not do enough to support Black people after the Civil War.
“Any American asked if he opposed slavery would strongly affirm his absolute opposition to this terrible institution,” he wrote.
“Today, however, we must unite in our opposition to the consequences this immoral practice has had on our nation.”
The city of Boston created the Reparations Task Force in 2022 to draft a report on how the city could deliver reparations to its Black residents.
The city is led by Mayor Michelle Wu, who in December controversially hosted a “no whites allowed” Christmas party for the “elected people of color.”