Kansas City’s mayor explains his thoughts on slavery reparations

By Leslie Aguilar

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    KANSAS CITY, Missouri (KCTV) — Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas is vowing to pay reparations for slavery to Black people in Kansas City.

He’s one of 11 U.S. mayors who are making that commitment. They’re all part of a group called Mayors Organized to Reparations and Equity.

The group is committed to supporting legislation before Congress that will ensure the issue of reparations is studied.

Lucas said he will meet with the group of mayors soon to discuss best practices, then create a committee of local community members to hash out how to turn ideas into reality.

“I do think that this will be more of a programmatic set of investments rather than actually just everybody Black in America getting a $2,000 or $3,000 check. However, I do think we need to make sure that it is targeted to addressing areas that have traditionally been impacted by that underinvestment and his history is based upon so many things that were unfair,” Lucas said.

Lucas told KCTV5 the idea is to identify and develop programs that will address and right historical wrongs, then lobby for the funding from the federal government. He does not foresee handing money directly to descendants of slaves.

“I think it would be fairly difficult to just kind of cut checks to everybody. Although frankly, I think this country needs to do more of that, particularly when you look at our Native American population,” he said.

Thousands of people crowded the Historic 18th and Vine District today to celebrate Juneteenth, the 155th anniversary of all slaves being emancipated.

“It’s not just a celebration. It’s a day that I’m honoring the people in the past who sacrificed their lives just for me to be free,” 11-year old Mariah Turner said.

It’s first the celebration since Juneteenth became a national holiday. Though many Black families see the national recognition as a sign of progress towards a more equitable America, they agree with the idea of reparations as well.

“I think it’s a step in the right direction. The reparations are long overdue. I would say a reinvestment in the urban core, whether it’s in housing, whether it’s education, whatever it may be. That’s what we should do,” Stephen Seals said.

The Seals family is successful and thriving, but that doesn’t mean they’re unaffected by the long-term effects of slavery.

“The grief and trauma is still present and prevalent. We see the generational trauma affecting us still to this day, that started back from then,” Tori Seals said.

Some people support the idea of direct payments to descendants of slaves, or simply to black families stuck a cycle of poverty.

“I think it would be great for us to have the programs that you have to finish in order to receive the money. Because then you would know what to do with it. If you just give someone money and they don’t know how to manage money already, then you didn’t help them you just wasted money,” Kansas City rapper and entrepreneur, Suli4Q said.

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