Elorza Signs Executive Order Establishing Providence Municipal Reparations Commission
GoLocalProv News Team
Elorza Signs Executive Order Establishing Providence Municipal Reparations Commission
The Commission will have 13 members, with seven members appointed by Elorza and six members appointed by the Providence City Council.
Elorza announced the appointments of: NAACP Providence President Jim Vincent; PCEI CEO and Founder Raymond Two Hawks Watson; Lab Faculty at College Unbound Wanda Brown; President of Rhode Island Pride Rodney Davis; 25 Bough St CEO Lanre Ajakaiye; RISD Assistant Professor Jess Brown; and CEO of CareerDevs Computer Science Institute Arnell Millhouse.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST"Here in Providence, we are leading the way on undertaking this difficult - but critical - work to acknowledge and address racial injustice that impacts our community," said Elorza. "Today, I am proud to be alongside our partners and community members to share another milestone of this three-phase process, the Framework for Reconciliation. By engaging those who have been directly impacted by actions outlined during our Truth Telling phase, this framework demonstrates that history isn't something that just happened in the past but is actively shaping present-day outcomes for African heritage and Indigenous Providence residents."
At Monday's announcement, Elorza was joined by Watson, Providence Business Development Director and 1696 Heritage Group Vice President Keith Stokes, Reconciliation project co-leaders Providence Cultural Equity Initiative (PCEI) CEO and Founder Watson and Roger Williams University Assistant Professor Brian Hendrickson, Providence resident Cheryl Taylor, Senior Advisor to Elorza and Executive Director of the African American Ambassador Group Shawndell Burney-Speaks and community members to announce the Framework for Reconciliation and sign the executive order
About Process
"Reconciliation" is the second phase of a multi-year, three-part Truth-Telling, Reconciliation and Reparations process, first announced through a community-driven Executive Order signed by Elorza in July 2020.
The Providence Cultural Equity Initiative, Roger Williams University and Providence Public Library partnered with the City and AAAG Truth-Telling and Reconciliation Subgroup, comprised of nearly 20 community members from the larger African American Ambassador Group, to launch a framework for reconciliation which included several months of engagement and discussion across the community, reflecting on the information discovered and the research compiled in A Matter of Truth.
"It was an honor and a privilege to be selected by Mayor Elorza and the African American Ambassadors Group to lead the reconciliation phase of this very important initiative," said Watson. "Our coalition’s goals were to humanize and reframe the discussion around reparations in the City of Providence, provide avenues to increase public access to and engagement with the A Matter of Truth report, and create tools to sustain and promote the process of reconciliation in Providence and beyond. We are excited to see what the community will achieve by employing the reconciliation framework that we have developed."
The Framework for Reconciliation was piloted in the neighborhoods of Fox Point, Lippitt Hill, Upper South Providence and West Elmwood, and "outlines a model and proof of concept to continue reconciliation in perpetuity."
The framework is "informed by deep community engagement, including 378 survey responses, 16 lead stakeholders with generational personal, familial, and community ties to four focused neighborhoods, 29 interviews of community members and engagement with community members across several African and Indigenous Heritage community events. The process included the development of a multimedia initiative to directly connect more individuals with the A Matter of Truth report, including a website featuring documentary interviews and reconciliation framework report."
The Providence Municipal Reparations Commission will sunset in 90 days following the submission of a report outlining recommendations on municipal reparations to Mayor Elorza and the Providence City Council. The report will include, but is not limited to, an examination of reparation work being done in other cities and a summary of community engagement strategies throughout the City's process, culminating in recommendations for reparations in Providence.
The Truth-Telling, Reconciliation and Reparations process was developed with the Mayor’s African American Ambassador Group. Those interested in engaging in the subcommittees of the AAAG are encouraged to complete this form.
To view the Framework for Reconciliation, click here. To read the Executive Order, click here. To learn more about the African American Ambassador Group, click here.