NORTHAMPTON — The City Council was presented a preliminary report from the Northampton Reparations Study Commission during its Dec. 5 meeting, where the commission explained the research and work accomplished to this point while also seeking more support from the city to further extend its work.
Beginning the presentation was Reparations Study Commission Chair Ousmane Power-Greene, who explained the work has been collaborative to this point. In February 2023, the City Council passed a resolution acknowledging the city’s history of slavery and complicity in the harmful effects of post-slavery racial segregation, discrimination and systemic racism.
This acknowledgement then led into a commitment to the formation of this commission that is charged with considering what initiatives should be funded and implemented by the city to support redress and fair treatment of Black people living, working or learning in the community. The commission’s work examines ways to restore, grow and nourish Black community and culture in the city for future generations and suggest ways the city might meaningfully atone for historic wrongs.
“The commission’s work began by reviewing other municipalities reparations efforts. As the work continued, the commission met monthly to discuss its charge, debate ideas and attempt to reach consensus as to what recommendations would be included,” Power-Greene said. “Commissioners work, which has included study groups, has drawn on their expertise and lived experiences to research and compile information about issues covered by the charge and report their findings and ideas back to the group. This preliminary report is the product of that work to date.”
The first recommendation listed in the report calls on the city to encourage, assist, chronicle and publish information about ongoing reparations efforts and create the infrastructure needed to facilitate further reparative actions. This includes supporting private organizations already engaged in reparative work, publicize efforts of reparative work, convene planning meetings for these efforts and ultimately create a reserve account for reparations.
“The commission is acutely aware of competing demands for city funds. Cognizant of this reality, the commission recommends that annually 2.5% of the city’s budgeted but unexpected money be designated for the Reparation Reserve Account. We cannot predict the amounts that annually would be achieved from this designation,” the report states. “In addition, we urge the Mayor and the City Council and its Budget Committee to explore alternative and creative methods of funding to report to the city on those efforts and considerations.”
The report adds that some of the further recommendations, if implemented, would entail little or no financial cost to the city on the flip side of the top recommendation listed. Other recommendations called for efforts in preserving culture, and possibilities for work within the city’s police department and schools.
While not discussed in depth during the meeting, a highlight of the report comes through a recommendation listed calling for major institutions in the city to pledge to meaningfully participate in the city’s reparation efforts. In this section of the report, the commission makes public its findings of institutions it says were complicit in financing and maintaining racist property deeds in Northampton, past and present.
The inquiries of the commission have resulted in locating approximately 240 property deeds covering approximately 55 properties in Northampton with racially restrictive covenants. Some of the language within these deeds prevents the sales or rentals of properties to “colored persons” and other ethnic groups. These restrictions though became unenforceable with the federal Fair Housing Act in 1968.
Most of the racially restrictive language originates from two Northampton property owners, Charles Sauter and Champion Swift, and dates between 1923-1947. Still, the commission found that there are many deeds for properties in the city on record that are inconsistent with the federal law.
“According to Hampshire County Register of Deeds Mary Olberding, there are at present approximately 40 deeds for Northampton properties still on record at the registry that are inconsistent with the federal Fair Housing Act due to either the language in the document itself, or, more often, incorporating previous racist restrictions of record,” the report states. “These restrictive covenants evidence institutionalized and systemic racism that was apparently accepted by and acceptable to major institutions, e.g., banks and other lending institutions, in the city as well as prominent citizens, including lawyers.”
The report’s list includes both financial and cultural institutions including Florence Bank, Easthampton Savings Bank, Smith College, as well as multinational investment banks such as Citigroup and Bank of America. Most notably from this section of the report, the commission found Florence Bank financed 35 mortgages with racially restrictive covenants between 1936 and 2018.
“[Thirteen] of those mortgage deeds include the specific restrictions in the mortgage deeds themselves while 22 incorporate prior deeds with those restrictions. Of the 35 mortgages, 19 include the specific racist restrictive language while 16 include the coded discriminatory language,” the report states.
As of late 2018, a mortgage deed financed by the bank references “restrictions of record” which include a 1928 deed with the specific racist language: “Said premises shall not be sold to or occupied by any colored persons.” There are over 20 other organizations listed in the report claimed to having the same outdated practices.
The full report, other recommendations and specific findings regarding the property deeds and its including of racist covenants can be viewed on the city website via commission’s page, or via the agenda from the Dec. 5 meeting.
The final piece of the commission’s work moving forward will be furthering community engagement in order to capture as many voices and opinions as possible to find a way for the community to move forward thinking about reparative work. They also were seeking help from the city in appointing two more members to the commission, explained Power-Greene.
Ultimately, many councilors and Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra said they appreciated the work done so far and will begin digging through the preliminary report presented further following the meeting. Much support to the commission’s current and future work was expressed.
“I’m happy to work with the council president to make two additional appointments [to the commission],” said Sciarra. “I just want to add my thanks. Clearly there is more work that needs to be done and an interest in doing more work, but I just want to say I think this is a very well-done preliminary report. It’s very robust.”
The mayor confirmed with the commission that while this was a preliminary report, the recommendations listed in the report were most likely going to maintain through as Power-Greene said focus was shifting further to the community engagement element.
The full meeting discussion can be viewed on the city’s YouTube channel and to review the full preliminary report, visit the Reparations Study Commission’s page on the city’s website.
