Learn more on the Philadelphia Reparations Task Force’s website, rep215.com.
On the eve of Juneteenth 2023, Councilmembers Jamie Gauthier (3rd District) and Kendra Brooks (At-Large) introduced a resolution establishing the Philadelphia Reparations Task Force. It received unanimous approval from City Council on June 22nd, 2023.
The Philadelphia Reparations Task Force studies and develops reparations proposals and programs for Black Philadelphians whose ancestors endured chattel slavery and Jim Crow in the United States. The mission of the Task Force is to provide the City of Philadelphia, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the United States of America with a comprehensive overview and report on how reparations can atone for the legacy of slavery, Jim Crow, and institutional racism in America for Black Philadelphians. The vision of the reparations task force is to elevate and protect the full human rights and human potential of Black Philadelphia in real time.
MEET THE PHILADELPHIA REPARATIONS TASK FORCE CO-CHAIRS
Breanna Moore is a Ph.D. History candidate at the University of Pennsylvania. She is the New Jersey Reparations Council Research Fellow. She co-chairs N’COBRA PHL (National Coalition of Black for Reparations in America Philadelphia chapter) which successfully advocated for the establishment of a Philadelphia Reparations Task Force. Breanna has held fellowships at The United Nations OHCHR (Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights) Programme for People of African Descent, the International Center for Transitional Justice, the Huntington Library, and the University of Cambridge. Breanna holds a B.A. in International Relations and African Studies from University of Pennsylvania. You can learn more at breannamoore.com.
Rashaun Williams is a Philadelphia native with experience supporting grassroots and public broadcast media, human service nonprofits, and global impact ventures. Rashaun has worked as an environmental sustainability organizer, K-12 academic enrichment program director, social entrepreneurship institute coordinator, and humanitarian rights justice and law convener. Rashaun co-chairs N’COBRA PHL, the Philadelphia Chapter of the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America, and coordinates Rep 215.
Learn more about Breanna Moore and Rashaun Williams’s work by visiting NCOBRAPHL.org
APPLY TO JOIN THE PHILADELPHIA REPARATIONS TASK FORCE
Deadline: January 15th, 2024
The Philadelphia Reparations Task Force shall comprise ten members from the descendant group who reside in the City of Philadelphia, and have done so for at least a decade. Task Force Members must have the capacity to provide pro bono professional expertise, be excellent coordinators, and work very well with others. Task Force member applicants should have experience in the sector of the position they are seeking to fill, and experience in activism, social justice, grassroots community organizing, or reparatory justice. The descendant group is defined as Black and African American descendants of enslaved Africans in the United States, the descendants of Black, Negro, or Colored Americans since 1865, and the descendants of Freedmen emancipated from slavery. The descendant group may include identified “Black” and “African American” residents in the City of Philadelphia of mixed race or heritage so long as one of their native born American parents is a due member of the descendant group.
Task Force members will be expected to:
- Develop, read and write review reports.
- Coordinate meetings, dates, and timelines.
- Build and maintain partnerships in their sector.
- Develop and manage committees & community cohorts.
- Conduct surveys via individual, peers group, generational, family, professional, neighborhood, and group cohorts.
- Participate in and lead courses, conferences and conventions.
- Advocate for the descendant group’s self-determination.
Complete the application via the form on rep215.com to apply for any one of the eight open positions on the reparations task force:
- Economic Justice
- Public & Post-Secondary Education
- Health & Wellness
- Atlantic World History
- Human Services & Community Resources
- Criminal & Legal Justice System
- Law & Policy (International & Domestic)
- Urban Planning & Sustainable Development
Please send all questions to [email protected]
