What does it take to support thriving Black communities across San Francisco?

San Francisco African American Reparations Advisory Committee

In February 2020, District 10 Supervisor and Board President Shamann Walton introduced a resolution to address reparations to San Francisco’s Black communities, building on a powerful nationwide movement to call for federal, state and local governments to acknowledge the harms that policy decisions have played in perpetuating racial inequities in the United States. In December 2020, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance establishing the San Francisco African American Reparations Advisory Committee (AARAC).

Over the course of two years, the fifteen member Advisory Committee is tasked with developing a San Francisco Reparations Plan that addresses the institutional, City-sanctioned harm that has been inflicted upon African American communities in San Francisco. AARAC will specifically focus on improving education, housing, workforce development, economic opportunities, financial stability, small businesses, transit access, and food security while reducing violence, health disparities and over-criminalization experienced in our Black communities.

The Reparations Committee advises the Board of Supervisors, the Mayor, the Human Rights Commission, and the public on the development of a San Francisco Reparations Plan. The plan will highlight ways that City policies have harmed Black lives. It will also include specific actions to address discrimination and inequities. The Committee is comprised of 15 appointed members who work across several subcommittees.