What’s next for Detroit reparations?

December 17, 2025

Detroit's Reparations Task Force is dissolving at the end of the month after releasing nearly 100 policy recommendations in October, including cash payments for descendants of enslaved people and investments in housing and economic development. Task force leaders are pushing Mayor-elect Mary Sheffield and the newly elected City Council to establish a permanent Reparations Administrative Office to study and implement these proposals, though Sheffield has not committed beyond continuing discussions. The recommendations lack clear funding mechanisms and prioritization, leaving questions about implementation, with some task force members expressing disappointment that the report doesn't adequately measure the wealth extracted from Black Detroiters.

Who is affected

Black residents of Detroit and descendants of enslaved African people
Mayor-elect Mary Sheffield and her transition team
Detroit City Council (newly elected members)
Detroit's Reparations Task Force members (Co-Chairs Cidney Calloway and Keith Williams, member Janis Hazel, and attorney Krystal Crittendon)
Black residents affected by racist housing policies and historical overtaxation
Local businesses, seniors, developers, and casino operators (through proposed funding mechanisms)
Detroit residents who voted for the 2021 ballot initiative

What action is being taken

Task force Co-Chair Cidney Calloway is working to schedule a January briefing with the newly-seated council and a public forum
The task force is connecting with economists to better define the total wealth extracted from residents
Task force leaders are trying to figure out how to organize on the ground to apply pressure to the new administration
Mayor-elect Sheffield is continuing discussions about reparations

Why it matters

This matters because it represents Detroit's attempt to address centuries of economic harm inflicted on Black residents through slavery, housing discrimination, and other racist policies, with the wealth gap between Black and white Americans estimated at roughly $350,000. The creation of a permanent administrative office and implementation of recommendations could make Detroit a significant model for municipal reparations efforts, following Evanston, Illinois's example. However, without clear funding mechanisms, political commitment, and prioritization, the extensive work of the task force risks becoming another unfunded plan that sits on a shelf, failing to deliver meaningful repair proportional to the documented harm experienced by Black Detroiters.

What's next

Co-Chair Cidney Calloway hopes to schedule a January briefing with the newly-seated City Council
A public forum is planned to highlight the need for a permanent office
Mayor-elect Sheffield will consider whether to create a commission to implement the recommendations
Task force leaders plan to organize community pressure campaigns to hold the new administration accountable
The city needs to identify which measures should take priority from the nearly 100 policy recommendations
Further work is needed to define funding mechanisms and the total wealth extracted from Black residents

Read full article from source: bridgedetroit.com