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Public comment on reparations planned for Saturday in Ypsilanti

Residents across Washtenaw County are being invited to join in on a discussion about reparations. A reparations panel discussion is slated for Saturday in Ypsilanti.

The gathering comes against the backdrop of plans by the Washtenaw County Board of Commissionersto create an Advisory Council on Reparations. The county says its advisory council will study the generational harms of slavery, mass incarceration and racist laws, with the goal of recommending reparations for Black residents of the county.

While the county moves forward with its organizational efforts, local community activist Justin Harper felt it was important for the public to be engaged at the same time.

During a public gathering tomorrow, Harper says there will be an open conversation about reparations with local experts, and then the public will be asked for their thoughts and input.

“We would love to have some community engagement, so we can hear what they think of reparations.”

Harper says it is his goal that concepts generated in the community gathering on Saturday will support county efforts, adding strategies that the county’s advisory council may want to consider in the future.

The public reparations information session called Reparations in Ypsilanti is scheduled for tomorrow, Saturday, May 13 at 1pm at Ypsilanti’s District library.

Details about the event can be found on this Facebook site.

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Cathy Shafran was WEMU's afternoon news anchor and local host during WEMU's broadcast of NPR's All Things Considered.
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