 All right. Excellent. Thank you, Jennifer. And if you can just give me one second, my screen. All right, here we go. So I am calling to order the June 12th meeting of the African Heritage Reparation Assembly with the extension of chapter 20 of the acts of 2021. This meeting will be conducted via remote means members of the public who wish to access the meeting may do so via zoom or by telephone. No in person attendance of members of the public will be permitted, but every effort will be made to ensure the public can adequately access the proceedings in real time. And I'm going to go through and do a sound check. I just want to say, and I know we are recording, but I am in a lot of emotional pain. I'm dealing with a very difficult loss. And so I'm here showing up and I'm really happy to be here, but I just want to let you know that if I don't seem like my, my usual self, that's the reason. So let me start with Dr. Rhodes. And I can hear everyone and see everyone that's present that is great. Okay, and Dr. Shabazz. I'm here and also in full solidarity and supportive view Michelle. Thank you Dr. Shabazz and Hala. I'm here I can hear you and similar to Dr. Shabazz. Okay, thank you. And so I am going to ask if Jennifer will just take a moment if she's still here to just share a little bit Jennifer with us about the upcoming Juneteenth festivities. And if anyone else has anything to share because I know there's a lot going on that weekend and I just want to just share that briefly if you would. I just have to say first I like that t-shirt Dr. Shabazz very nice. So, there are a lot of things going on and I think that we just created a listing of all the events that are that we are aware of that are going on for Juneteenth over the weekend. And up until Monday the 19th. So, on Saturday, the June 17th is the ancestral bridges. History Walk on Sunday the Amherst cinema is showing fences and then having a panel of fathers of black fathers I believe up to have a discussion on Monday, starting, I believe at 10am. There's an event host featuring Dr. Shirley Whitaker over at the Mill District, and then followed at noon there's the jubilee on the common which will move to the middle school for assuming that if there's rain. And then at 4pm, the Shabazz and or the BB AAA will be hosting another jamboree at Mill River at four. Awesome. Thank you, Dr. Shabazz. Do you want to say a word about the four o'clock event if you're involved in that. Yeah, also involving a Sankofa gumbo which is the kind of Sankofa is the name in which we did a lot of Juneteenth work going back to like 2011 2012. And so it just it's a West African proverb, saying it is not taboo to return and fetch it to go back and get what you need to go forward. Sankofa continues and will will be out there till sundown and folks are welcome to come just as you are bring your own chairs tents just you know family style it's just open and free. Thank you Dr. Shabazz and Jennifer do you know when I should be the one to know this but I don't do you know when the proclamation is being read in all of those different events is that on at the town. So, the only time that I know that the proclamation is being read is during the Jubilee, and that is on the common at noon, I think, followed by the Amherst gospel choir. And then we have tap roots will be performing and then after tap roots we have rebel will be performing and then closing is 10 bless. So, participation in the event is free it's on the town common there's no no fee to get in there is fee for if you want to buy something from the craft vendors as it is always support black businesses. Yeah. Awesome. Okay, thank you that's great. That is really exciting all of those wonderful events and thank you to everybody who's organizing them them. Okay, so I'm going to start with the first period of public comment before we move into our work. And so, if you are in the audience and you would like to make a public comment. Please use the raise hand feature. And I'll just quickly read the statement I'm only going to read it once so that next time we have public comment I will not read the statement again. During the public comment period the chair will recognize members of the public when called on please identify yourself by stating your name, pronouns and address residents are welcome to express their views for up to three minutes. We will not engage in dialogue, generally, but we will certainly be listening and helpful as best we can. So if you would like to make a comment at this time, please go ahead and raise your hand. And again there will be a second period of public comment later in the meeting. Okay, so I'm not seeing any. So, I wanted to give an update quickly on the legal questions that we had discussed at our last meeting I did have a chance to connect with Paul. Paul has asked me to put those questions in writing for him after this meeting and then he and the town's attorney will determine whether it's best to apply in writing or to visit us at a meeting, or just to have a phone consultation so I'll keep everyone posted on that. And I see that Dr. Rhodes' hand is raised so I'm going to come to Dr. Rhodes and yes please Dr. Rhodes. So, today is June 12. On June 12 of 1967, the Supreme Court and the decision between Levin and the State of Virginia made a ruling that it was legal for another person to marry a person of another color. And that was loving so it's loving day. And it's being celebrated here in the United States and all over the action various parts of the world. I think this is like the 57th anniversary of it. And I just wanted to mention that. So glad you did Dr. Shabazz or Dr. Rhodes. Sorry, thank you. I'm so glad you mentioned that. And really, yeah, that's such a significant time day. Okay, so I was going to come to you Dr. Rhodes actually and ask if, before we move into the meat of our work, last time we met we talked about you meeting with Sean about our fund and I just wanted to ask if you had an opportunity to meet with him yet or if you had an opportunity to talk about the fund process. I met with Sean and we had a good meeting. And then I followed up with Paul that same day. And the net net of it is that we really can do whatever you want to do with this money that we have now and that which is coming. All we have to do is make a proposal, send it on to Paul and Paul puts it before the council. So, you know, we know in terms of how much is coming each year we don't know what that is. But any portion of that, we can utilize during the year the current year in fact, even now, we can say hey we would like to have X number of dollars go for a particular project or purpose. And, you know, my suggestion is that we want to going forward basis, say that we will take 3040% of whatever is available or 1015 whatever. But we make a decision on that. And my suggestion is that we do it for this year coming up. And have a proposal. The only requirement is that Sean says that he would like to see it's not necessarily something that has to be, is that the project not overlap with those projects already ongoing. And that was your manager's office Jennifer speaking I'm going to help you. Jennifer you'll want to mute. So, and then Paul agreed with that and said that look, you know, the HR and any successor group can request funding for that particular for a particular project for any amount of money that's available. Excellent. Thank you so much for having those discussions and I just want to make sure that I clarify. So, we're talking about a percentage of the two million and deciding amongst us. What percentage of that percentage would be used now and in the future so are you saying that. Paul would need approval from the town council in order to allow us to use a percentage of the full two million now. Yeah, we know what I'm saying is that this is a hypothetical amount let's say that there's 200,000 in there now, or 100,000 to come this year that hasn't been decided with what the amount is going to be. Whatever is there we can take a percentage of that for current purposes. In other words, we do not have to wait for the two million to be. We can utilize that which is already there. Or that which is going to another which I don't know if you're whenever Paul and Sean make a determination about what's going to become going into the stabilization fund. This year for you know, and we can take a percentage of that or we can take a percentage of that which is already there. Okay, I see so maybe I misunderstood last week I thought what we were trying to do and maybe we still want to try to do this is to proactively be able to take a percentage of two million net like that we could look to take and we could look if we're looking at it as an endowment that that percentage would be off of the two million, not off of the, say, whatever is in there now I think, maybe close to 500,000. Yeah, I, the way what I'm hearing, and I know that was like one way I did hear it last discussion as well but what I'm hearing in from the feedback that Dr. Rhodes is bringing us is that, in a way, the fund will continue to accrue to the two million dollar goal. And, but in the meantime there's nothing per preventing some percentage of the fund that's accruing to two million to be used now. And that, or for the coming years so if our recommendation our, our document that we propose that allocations begin in 2024. You know, consistent with the successor group, vetting those projects, making sure those projects don't overlap with city with town disbursements that are already going on. And then they made recommendations based upon a set amount, be it 100 K be it 50 K up to that amount for 2024, then that could be taken. I would say out of the stabilization fund that's currently accruing accruing interest, but would allow us allow the, our successor group to get started with making allocations and it just means that it's maybe a little different time frame of till until when we get to the million. But, but, but we're, we're still able to get started spending, or the successor body would be able to to get started making some allocations is what I'm hearing. Right, and that's that's correct. You know, in other words, we really say we said we wanted to do 30% of that which is early there. $150,000 of the $500,000. We could allocate that for the upcoming fiscal year which begins July one. All right. In other words, this group right now could make a recommendation could make a recommendation. Correct. I got you. I got you. That's real. Okay, so not to get too deeply into this right now because we've a lot to do but I just want to voice that the way that I had thought we envisioned the fund is that we would not take from the principal, we would take from what was accruing an interest which is maybe let's say about 5%. So I had thought that very early on, you know, in the first two, three, four years we would have very little to work with, because we would be taking not from that principal, we'd only be taking a percentage of the interest that's accruing off of a very low amount until it were to build up. So what I had thought is if we're if that's if that was sort of our philosophy, then would we be able to have a formula that allows us to keep the principal in there, but calculate that let's say 5% interest on the fund as opposed to on what is currently in the fund. And I'm not sure if I'm, if that's making much sense but that's how I had thought of it. I think you're you know that's one way to look at it but you know when you when you think of it if we said hey, we're going to assume that the two millions going to throw out 5%. A percentage of that. So soon that is 5% of $2 million. Yes, that's $100,000. So we can then say we want to take a percentage of that. Now. All right. And however that it hasn't hasn't reached that, but you know so you, we could we could very well do that. Now, it does not mean, by the way just me. It does not mean that that which will be there when it gets to million will be the same. But that's, but those are calculations that could be made by others. But what I'm saying is that hey, if it's $2 million and we're saying 5% of that. And we're going to take a percentage of that 5% now. Exactly. We can do that. With the understanding that on a going forward basis. That is would be something that would be debited in the future. In terms of we could, we could, we could do that. I mean, I went with to go through all of the machinations of. And the rhythm ticket all of that. But it's sound, you know, because, you know, either way, we're able to spend that money now rather than waiting for it. Yeah. Okay, good. Yeah. So maybe we can get more clarification on what that might look like you said the math and also just, I want to make sure at least I, I, I'm wondering if this body wants to make sure that we're not drawing off of the principle and that the town is allowing us to essentially, it's almost like having a credit card, you know what I mean, like they're allowing us to borrow now on the commitment that they made. And one of the things we're going to talk about today is the financial policy that I hope they will adopt based on the conversation that we had last week of turning their commitment into something more permanent than the handshake that I believe we have right now from them. So, okay, good. Dr. Shavas, you had your hand up, did you. Oh, we could we can proceed. Okay. I'm going to pull up I'm going to share my screen I'm going to pull up what I have been working on as an outline for our report. And it's a very, very rough draft and there are lots of holes and questions. The one deliberative topic when I went through the whole sort of skeleton of the how I thought we might go forward with the report. We still did not deliberate on or discuss how we might from our charge develop ongoing other ongoing funding streams. That's something that when we get to that piece here in this outline that will we're going to talk about so I thought we could go just see am I not sharing. Okay, should be sharing now. Can everyone see this now. Okay, great. So, and this is this is like I said this is just what came out of my brain. I haven't sat yet with Metia. And of course, we're just reviewing it now together and so this can be completely revised. But let me just take you through what I was thinking. So we have a report that's do. And we want people to read the report. The important pieces to be upfront. And then of course we want to fill in with all of the other pieces that one might reference as they're reading through our report and trying to make sense and understand our recommendations. So we begin with the committee charge which I think is, you know, just obvious. And then what I had thought is last week and I went back Metia transcribed our retreat, which was really helpful and I went back and listened or read through our conversation. We talked about the difference between making sort of a broad analysis in our recommendations on how we think about the scope of a pair of justice, and Dr. Shabazz talked about the concentric circles and he talked about the resident and identity, the three, the three ways that we might determine eligibility. And so I thought that we could start the report by having some visual and narrative representation of that broad analysis of our thinking. I'm open if others feel, and these are the details, but I'm open to moving that to somewhere else in the report, but that's sort of how I envisioned it is to come out really clearly upfront and say this is how we think about reparative justice. This is sort of our broad statement in terms of how we think about it. And then, following that we have first the recommendations for the town and the town council. And this begins with asking them to adopt a charge for a successor committee which we talked about last, last time we met. And in my recommendation I would say we should include the full charge so I started to fill in some of the pieces here and we'll come back to that. But so these are the pieces of a town manager appointed charge and the things that we would want to be able to tell the town in terms of how they would adopt this success, successor committee. And so we have some questions that we need to answer here. And you'll see the top is sort of just like the nuts and bolts, and then there's the composition which we need to discuss. There's the purpose. Is that you Dr. should did you do that Dr. Shabazz, will you unmute. You're still muted. I just want to make sure there's not like a zoom bomber. That was me and once I was in the pin mode I couldn't get back to unmute myself but yeah that was that was me. Okay. Okay, and then here we go into what is the actual charge so last time we talked about the committee soliciting and vetting applications or interest from the community we talked about a biannual black town meeting which was Dr. Shabazz recommendation which I think was really excellent. This would be open to all black Amherst residents as I understood his vision. And then having an application calendar similar to the community preservation where there would be an information session and an application round window on an annual basis. And so this committee would also then recommend initiatives to the town council. The question is out there about whether it would be annual or biannual. This committee would also be the keeper of the fund. So they would deal with the fund oversee the fund manage the fund, all of that kind of stuff make sure that the money's getting allocated into the fund on an annual basis. And then they would also I added here review and update the Amherst reparations allocation plan every three years and that can be changed every year every two years every five years but I think this body needs to keep its awareness on that because things may change in the town and as our initiatives are moving forward. And then the second recommendation is to adopt the reparations fund policy which again makes more permanent the agreement that we have with the town on the $2 million. We have a question out about whether we want the town to seek special legislation. Truth and reconciliation initiatives and do we want di to be sort of the load star for those initiatives and what might that look like. And then there are other recommendations that we may want to make Jennifer had brought up the solar last time there might be townwide educational programs like the stolen beam that we asked the town to implement. And then there are recommendations potentially for the schools as well. And then other recommendations and these were more specific recommendations and what I'm going to ask is that in our next meeting. So for those of us who have specific recommendations we want to bring forward like Mr driver like the Coleman family, like anything else that we bring those forward at our next meeting and we debate them and we vote on them as necessary. So these are our more narrowly tailored they do not go necessarily to the town or to the town council, but their recommendations that we want to make. So that's sort of like the highlights then you have our recommendations then you of course need in this report to talk about the hra's process so our legislative actions, our community actions, our committee actions, people are going to want to know how many times did we meet how many listening sessions who did those listening sessions include all of those kinds of things the survey results of course we will want to include. I think that has provided us some really excellent visuals and other ways that we can provide. Sort of a higher level look at the survey results and then we will probably also have an appendix will have a bunch of appendices and one of them will include the full raw results. We'll also have our listening session feedback and then any other reports links, etc. I want to point out up here under the other recommendations that I did put federal. That's something that we do need to talk about if we want to make any suggestions, or recommendations and maybe that really goes to the town council if there's anything that we're would be asking for them to do. So I'm going to pause. And just open the floor. Specifically around this structure. And whether this seems like it's in good order it needs to be changed up and yes I see your hand doctor Schvaz please. Yeah, I might need to think about. Some more about the ordering here. I certainly think a reflection of our charge would would come up front. Generally these things do kind of proceed with all of the sort of history of the creation of the group and of the different actions taken by the group. Maybe from readability that that that I see in your approach, you were going to put more of that that history of what this body the AHRA has done, you see it more down toward the end of the document, rather than up front, a lot of it is up front and it does sort of bury the lead so to speak. But, but I think that it's something I still want to want to think about a little bit more, because it does seem like beyond the question of the charge. The group who is making the recommendations is is also important to to to state so there's the charge. There's, there could then be a listing of the, of the members of the body, including our, you know, pre previous member and co chair. When we started out and the, you know, but just reflecting who is actually authoring this report, as well as those that that have assisted, of course, more of that can be expanded in the in the appendix or acknowledgments or thanks, somewhere, somewhere down the line. But, but again, I'm just still thinking about, again, making sure that it's readable that you don't bury the lead that you do get into the important things that the the body that we're this report is reporting to really wants to know and following from the charge itself. And so that brings me to this point and that is to it. Things have been brought up before about the tone of the document the voice of the document and also which to me has also been brings the question of the audience. And it seems to me, you were talking about some matters, these are things we're saying to the council seems to me everything we're saying here is to the council and town manager as the entity that that that charged us and created us. I think there is the larger way in which we are speaking to the general public, the general public of the town of Amherst the general public beyond the town of Amherst that that may be interested in what in our work. But it does seem to me that we if we think about that the audience then, then basically everything we're, we're reporting all of the broad rationale and and broad view of what reparations is and what reparative justice should mean in this town is all in some way is addressed to to the council and to the town manager now it occurs to me that we ought to specifically think about within the report, what are specific recommendations we're asking the the council to approve to actually vote and to really take action on based upon our report. And, and again, how to, you know, maybe bracket that out right up front and, and then you know get more into the discussion of them and later on in the document, but it does seem we ought to really identify specific action items that we are recommending to to the council such as the the successor body, such as its its its ongoing work and charge and such as the the reparations fund policy. And, you know, these are, these are ones that that we, you know, and again and on down the list, but, but definitely the, even as we explain and whatnot somewhere to just sort of identify all of the specific things we're recommending that that action be taken on just somehow be be in bold or be bracketed somewhere so that they're so that we can know that that that we've been clear to them of the specific things we ought to recommend. And let me say on number two, the reparations fund policy. I, I don't know what all is envisioned there. But two things come to mind to me. And one is that, you know, we ought to revisit the framework of the of creating the $2 million fund. It was initially based on the shadowing of this of looking at this new revenue source that in the discussion of things we later found there wasn't support from certain members of the council or certainly the president of the council to to do earmarks. But so we ended up somewhere in this compromised position of will sort of look at what is coming in through this revenue source, and then try to take that amount in free cash. You know, if, if there's real support for the creation of the $2 million fund that I don't think we ought to restrict it anymore to what has come in through through cannabis tax revenue if they support it, then they could vote a larger percentage of free cash based upon getting to the goal of establishing this $2 million fund that we can then begin to operate from straight up and not have to, you know, to worry about, you know, when is it going to be complete and and when can we start spending taxes, not spending the principle or this that let you know I think we ought to discuss recommending that, you know, understanding the, all of the capital projects and and and the revenues of the town but if there's commitment to this going forward then we recommend going ahead and establishing the $2 million fund is as quickly as possible that it is an ongoing set aside amount that from which we can then sprint spend the the the interest per year I'll stop there for now. I just I really want to support that that it's Dr. Shabazz that it's not tied to cannabis and that the policy would be explicit about that because I think when we when when we ask for this commitment. You know, wait, we were in a different place in terms of our community and in terms of our understanding about reparative justice and in terms of our ability to sort of embrace this initiative and I do feel that we've deepened our commitment. As a community and as a town and a town council and I have seen that very clearly come through through the budget process through things that Sean has put out there that while right now we don't have anything in writing really. I do see that the commitment has deepened and so I think that we can. We can get that really nicely worked into a policy and I think there was concern from the council and from the finance department about it being tied to that source as well. Dr Rhodes. Dr Shabazz, I think that one area, not area but one way that we can do this and I have to make money to check this out. We could become another enterprise fund of the town. I think that each year, X amount of dollars goes into that enterprise fund enterprise fund would be reparations fund that would build up to the to me, however, the appropriation is something that would be ongoing every year. It's a permanent part of the budget. And as an enterprise enterprise fund, no, no different than enterprise funds for water and soar for whatever your number of enterprise funds we could become and suggest that we become a separate enterprise fund that's permanently there. If we can get a little more info for the rest of our members and for all of us to kind of, you know, understand what the implications of that are that that might be good for people not here today. I would say as well, one thing to, you know, with respect of it is and with respect of the policy is also the question of rollover. I would say in a given year, the successor group did not get or in the applications that it vetted, it didn't say spend an entirety of 50,000 or whatever the kind of percentage, you know, being worked from, then if you could roll that over, then in the subsequent year they could spend 75 or what have you but but those are the little details of course we could kind of get educated on and the enterprise idea get educated on and then, you know, begin to, to seek clarity for the successor body to know here is here the funds and here's what you can you can accept applications and begin to look at allocation, I agree. Yeah, and I think that it's Jennifer yes please go ahead. I mean I just have questions or thoughts so why don't how does how come why don't we have a war. Has anybody thought of the concept and I thought we talked about this last meeting I'm not sure is if we moved in the same terms as like you know, the friends or how the friends of the Jones as opposed to being completely attached to the town I don't like how that plays out or not with this but then it would eliminate but they still have to commit like they still have to continue with that commitment or to completely like use something similar to bam like where it's just not associated with the town but still funded by the town and that's their like commitment to us is to give us that money and that's their reparations by giving us that Monday but then there's another group that oversees it but so I don't know if it loses like control. I don't know if there's control involved in or not but it would make things some things much easier I would think and perhaps it makes other things much harder. I'm not sure. I think those are good questions of what I was going to say is the enterprise fund was thought about and as I recall. There are certain state regulations that an enterprise fund must comply with and I think that Sean thought that doing using the stabilization fund would be more flexible. So what I'm proposing if this group is comfortable with this is that Irv and I would set up a meeting with Sean to discuss what our possibilities are for getting this financial policy in place, including the use of a percentage off the full 2 million and what that might look like and all of those questions that have been raised. Dr Rhodes, would that be something that you would work with me on in the next week or so that we could try to set up with Sean. Yeah, I mean, it would be good to have Sean's input on this. I mean, because you know it's a, when I think about it, you know, you're, if we're going to use funds now off of off of a future assumption of $2 million and we're going to take assume that it's going to be 5%. And we're going to take a percentage of that 5%, how then does that affect the amount going forward in terms of it accumulating over that period of time. Now, you know, and, you know, those are financial calculations are that are easy to do. And, and, and what that would mean over time. But it's, you know, they're, they're just financial calculations. That's all. Awesome. Yes, Dr. Shabazz. And most specifically to Jennifer Moisten's question and I think it's a very important one and and I want to just speak from mentioned from the experience of BAM because this also came up very early on and and here's part of the part of the dilemma. So, here is the community that has experienced the harm. And then we're saying, okay, do we do we go and tax ourselves to create a nonprofit foundation instrument that can receive private donations and can receive public donations. Public donations. That is to say disbursements from the town like Jones library does as a private as a as a private nonprofit. Do we go ahead and take the risk and and potentially spending, you know, thousands of dollars of time with an accountant with lawyers with going to the Treasury, you know, applying under the state and federal guidelines and all with the with the whole and with the, you know, the risk that down the line will get to a place then where, you know, the private sector, the faith interfaith community and the town might ultimately then say yes and we'll work with this body and we'll support this body and we'll put funds behind this body that would, on the one hand, if it worked out similar to the Jones that would then put the the control, entirely in the hands of that nonprofit entity arising from the black community and and being made up of members of the black community. But then it is, it is again, how do we get there. And, and I think as you pointed out Michelle, a lot we've seen a lot evolve over these past nearly two years and so these are things we can certainly take to the black community and and revisit with them. The idea of creating a a stakeholders group within the black community and and then from there but but I have to just say at least from my vantage point in the early discussions within BAM, it was like. Yeah, that that's is a sound way to go. But what are we talking about then we're, we're saying we tax ourselves to go and create this entity and take the risk that, you know, everybody's going to going to come in support of it and and and put put reparations dollars into it. I don't know. And I just, well I don't understand well first I would say that why couldn't the town help us like that's the whole point right like right like what I don't and then also I don't know at the end of the game. So what you just the last part of what you just said how is that really any different from the town like half of the communities because the borders and after the other communities not regardless of what way we flow or don't flow but in and again, they're just possibilities right so. And I think that the more ways that you have to look at the way that we move forward, the more ways you can kind of narrow down what is the correct way, as opposed to five years and being like well why didn't we think of this so. Michelle sits on top of more expertise about this than I really have she she talked with folks particularly that set up, you know, private community foundations and Evanston she's she you know I mean, we have a lot of we have some things to go on in terms of how this can be done. I just am giving a little bit of the background that two mid two years ago when holla and herb and myself and some of the other current and and previous black elected officials got together with other black community members. This was one of the kind of sticking points in terms of okay, just going out there, setting up a private black stakeholders. You know, community kind of foundation and but yes if this could proceed as part of the report, asking the council and asking the manager to, to work and to support and to signal the support for a private black stakeholders group, then, then I think that's absolutely another way to go in a way that could let me say one final thing on this that could make unnecessary seeking the special legislation from the state, because if we can create the the conduit. Like a Jones library that you know is acting in the public interest that is under that but but you know also represents a specific set of stakeholders within the Amherst community that is the black descendants of slavery in Amherst, then absolutely that could be a way that could render the the whole special legislation route unnecessary if we set it up legally and properly and correctly. What do you say you're. Oh, it is when I think about it, I keep looking at all the models are available here in town. Jones library being one of them that receives town funds. And that's a nonprofit. The other one is the bid. The bid receives town funds. You know, and any number of different ways and has has done that over the years. The, I think that the, the important question is, what is the timeframe that is going to take to set up this entity. Is there a 501 C3 or could be one just like the bid which is not a 501 C3 but something similar to that. And which funds from the town can be directed. Those are the kinds of things I think Michelle was getting at that. And sit down with would sit down with Sean and go over all the possibilities and land up on one that will allow us to meet our objectives and what I hear the objective is, is to have a separate group, separate entity that separate from the town that the town puts money into on a regular basis. And that separate entity is controlled by members of the black community. So, yeah, I think that that would be a really good conversation to have with Sean. Yeah, and I don't know it just seems interesting that we would have a kind of sound kind of create sometimes they don't like when things are recorded but they have a black to have reparations that has to go through this approval process of people who aren't within the black community. Right, like I don't. I don't know. Right, it seems like that the whole decision should, I mean, I guess there should be some work in it but I think looking at it from the public from the black community as a whole, for those folks to be and I don't know what time. Sorry, I'm kind of, I'm super tired from yesterday so I don't know if I'm making any sense so I apologize, but I also like, I don't know what kind of timeframe rush we're in if the money at this point is just collecting and we don't really have a full picture of how we want to help people other than maybe a handful of people to know that spending the time to do that is wrong or right necessarily like I don't have an idea of what our timeframe is on anything either so do we have a timeframe. Here's my suggestion based on collecting these thoughts. I think that it is absolutely true that if a 501c3 or similar organization was created. It would mean that it that having special legislation would not be necessary. My suggestion or could mean my suggestion is that this would be part of a charge for the successor body. I do not think that we have the time resources capacity or even that we're grounded enough in this at this point that we would be the body to do this I think more study needs to happen. I know a lot of notes from speaking with the Evanston Community Foundation and the way that they went about and I'm not saying this needs to be a drawn out process but if this is one of the main issues that the successor body would be charged with right when they hit the ground running. And then I think that that that would be an excellent, an excellent item for them to work on. And so, but to Dr. Rose's point, I think we can absolutely talk to Sean about how we can lay that up for the next group and we can talk to Sean and the town attorney about what would be needed to make that recommendation so for example if we're going to include this as a part of the next body's charge then maybe we're not making a recommendation for special legislation at this time, but we're saying that that recommendation could be tied to whether this 501c3 comes together or not. That's that's my thinking I think if we try to get into the weeds of trying to figure out how to set that up right now without, you know, this black town meeting that Dr. Shabazz came up with here I mean to me is just, it's so critical because there's just so much information from the black community that we don't have and you know, I think we need to take the time to get that information and just set up the way that that can happen. I agree but this this is good good discussion I think it's I'm seeing some answers, evolving if we if we're all in agreement and, you know, particularly in relation to the to the special legislation because I have to say as someone who who was into that question and brought it up kind of early on, you know as I looked at it as I heard from legislators that I talked to afterwards they're their immediate thing is, you know, well if you do it for one time why not do it for all and so it got moved to a broader statewide question. We know there are multiple bills regarding reparations currently pending in the legislature represent Miranda's and others. So, I think this is, this is maybe a better course for us to take than to really, you know, hinge a strong recommendation on the question of special purpose which to refresh ourselves is really just about how can you establish that it is a compelling, you know, state interest local governmental interest to do something with, you know, disperse public funds to a specific group or specific per project or person that is not is not allowable. So, without it being declared as such a special purpose. So, I think this this could be then a good way to go. Just as you say, Michelle setting these points up, allowing the successor group to have to begin to work on the specifics of how to set up how to foster a type of community trust or foundation that could relate to the the black town meeting and so on. I think this is this this these are good suggestions regarding our financial policy and regarding aspects of the future work of the successor body. Excellent. All right, that's great. Thank you, Dr. Shpas and I, I just sort of along that line to continue. Do we want to think about today. Additional or ongoing funding streams do we do. Does anybody have ideas. I think we just lost hollow which means I'm going to stop the share because I'm, we're out of quorum. Yeah, we're out of quorum so I know that this has happened with hollows connection previously so it might just be a connection issue. Oh, there we go. It is. How can you hear us we just lost you for a moment. I can I apologize for that. Can you hear me. Absolutely. No worries. Yes, thank you. I mean, and that's another question that when Irvin I meet with Sean, we can explore with him because he is really quite a creative person and has had a lot of really good ideas. He, I think, would love to see us and the town and the finance department would would love to see us have other funding streams available to us. And so, like, for example, I think I mentioned last week one recommendation I do think we should make is that the within the legal ability for the town to do so. That some percentage of CPA funds, whether it be open space or historic preservation or affordable housing in any one of those areas that it be designated for residents who identify as black and who bring those forward those applications forward. So that's a question I have for the legal counsel that will be going to Paul today so we'll be able to get a little bit of a better understanding if we can actually even make a recommendation like that. But that would be an automatic funding stream for us another funding stream for us, if that were the case, or maybe not a funding stream but a way to get reparation benefits made from another source. One thing is, is that I am preparing to send to you. So some of you all consistent with some of my statement over the past, almost a couple of years around people hood and around public memory as part of people hood and part of repairing the damage to this to through black folks sense of people hood that we look at a kind of public memory project. And I have a number of different areas to to recommend and to highlight. I have ideas about that that are similar to the, the stumble stones in Germany of ways in which certain kinds of markers could be established. But I have to say, part of it for me becomes the question of, to what extent would, does it actually fit the historic preservation component of community preservation, because in my mind, or in your mind, we might read it as such. And then, relative to the history of how CPA has operated relative to how, you know what it's statutory sorts of language is, they may not see it as such. And that, and then I also have questions about, you know, the, the actual some experiences that I will have a hollow will will perhaps can back what I'm saying and provide greater clarification, but for example, Goodwin Memorial received CPA funds, but then it came out after a period of time and nothing had begun in terms of the work to repair the electrical system and deal with saving the little, the little church that it seemed as though they were the sense was, you pay for it first. If you get all the work done, make sure it's all done up to code and correct, and then submit to us your receipt, and we reimburse you. And it was like, well, if we need it, you know, we, if we apply to you for help is because we don't have the funds to go and do it like that, can you partner and help us now to find the right people to do the work up to code and to get it done properly and you pay the bill. And that's sort of the funds you're awarding us. Now I think ultimately that did get get resolved but it was a, it was a serious impasse at one point, and that's something we'll have we'd want to, to be clear on, as we make such recommendations to CPA that that that the that perhaps they're ready to, to revisit some of their ways in which they've worked with black folks and with black organizations and with black history in the past to think about a different practice, going forward with respect to, to repair the justice proposals, we are the successor group may send over. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. I, Dr. Shabazz I have a follow up question for you. Do you see the people hood and public memory and things like street naming and, and all of those kinds of things because, for example, there was a gentleman who passed away recently a beloved gentleman in the community. Maybe Mr Brooks is that a name. I think Dr. Shabazz you were connected to this person. But somebody that is a neighbor to this person. Dr. Dr Brace. Thank you so much. Yes, thank you. Yes, exactly. Dr Bracey. So it was suggested to the town that there'd be a name, a street named after Dr Bracey. And Paul said, sort of came back to me and said, I'm assuming that the HRA is going to make some recommendations about putting a policy forward to do that. So it just like, do you see that as fitting in under like truth and reconciliation recommendations or where do you, is that its own separate category? That's what I was just trying to pull up on the skeleton here. Yeah. Right. Yeah, I really think that relative to our charge of where you have other recommendations, these are sort of specific current recommendations that our body is making. And, and I would see these as and I'm hearing the word policy from you. And if that's the case, then I guess we need to explore what that is and think that that kind of piece out. You know, when I hear about street renaming, I, and I've been through this, I first went through it in the early 80s in Harlem when we worked to rename Lennox Avenue, Malcolm X Boulevard. And I had to learn the procedure in New York City, which was quite complicated. You had to go through the Borough of Manhattan since Harlem is in the Borough of Manhattan, you had to go through that governmental part of the governmental structure. They then had different subcommittees you had to go through to, to, to raise the question of the street renaming that it had to, then those committees had to report back and, and to the Borough body and then the Borough body had to then take a vote and it was David Dinkins at the time was the head of the Borough of Manhattan. And then, and then from Dinkins, you know, they, they passed on a recommendation to the larger, you know, assembly, New York Assembly to vote and, and then Mayor Ed Koch was a mayor at the time and it ultimately got to him and he was quite ready to sign it. He was very supportive of it in the end of the Shabazz family and renaming Lennox Avenue from Malcolm X Boulevard as it as interestingly as it turns out, he was quite supportive so it was. But, but you know, here I hear about the process of you got to find out what the fire department thinks, and you got to find out what the police thinks because if they got to make emergency calls and there's going to be confusion of the name of is it, is it still, you know, Main Street or is it Martin Luther King Boulevard and, and is it going to throw people off and then it's got to go here and it's got to go there, and then it comes out to the manager to, to recommend to the council I mean I don't really know the policy here but if you're asking me to think through a policy, it would be we give you the name and you go change it. You know, that's about as, as complicated as it is to me. Jennifer, what do you think. Yeah. I'm just joking. That's really funny. Well, so I don't, I don't believe that we have a policy and I believe that's what Paul was so like we, we for example might recommend that the town develop a street naming policy and that, or in building street and building or place policy that then would be the sort of way that the, that the successor body if they want to change the name of the street for Dr Bracey for example would be able to then use that street naming policy I don't know how much control we want to have over the policy itself but I think what we do is to at least have the council adopt the recommendation to create a policy that is in consultation with the successor body of the HRA for example. So I, this is what I'm going to suggest for now. I'm going to send everybody the outline that we were working with today. I would ask that you provide any feedback on that outline to myself and Jennifer only please. And then we'll Matias been here the whole meeting. She'll also I'll be hopefully meeting with her this week. And then at that I'll be meeting with hopefully Sean and Irv and legal counsel will be working on these questions that we have so we have a lot going on Dr Shabazz talked about some recommendations he has to bring forward at our next meet I would ask that any recommendations that would fall in the category down here. In terms of other recommendations like Mr driver, Professor driver, the Coleman family, anything to the chamber bid faith organizations, or federal or otherwise that you come prepared to the next meeting with. And if you don't, don't worry about having to have written the motion we can do that or you can email or call me and I can help create a motion but that we would at least have that to put forward to deliberate on. I'll ask you one other thing bid chamber faith organizations. I can certainly write up a federal one endorsing the creation of a commission to study and recommend proposals at the federal level. And I'll try to get that language prepared for us to look at it on the faith or a faith interfaith piece. We do have the sort of standing question of the stolen beam curriculum, and I don't know if we're talking about whether a an endorsement statement for faith groups to, to, to look at that or, and to perhaps replicate or model, creating it in there as, as we say an endorsement, we might give and recommend the council to, to also endorse. I think, you know, with respect to the school curriculum, it would be really in one of our areas of the schools which we haven't had a chance to do quite as much but with the meeting with Poku I do think about how we may want to recommend or endorse some type of, of recommendations curriculum, consistent with social studies objectives. You know, there is this whole civic engagement piece that was voted a few years ago at the state level that requires civic engagement projects maybe there's a way we can look at language and I'll reach out to some other maybe some teachers I know to perhaps help me think about how and maybe herb if you could think about anybody in the district that could help us to craft a statement in asking the, again, in our report endorsing some form of creation under perhaps under the civics aspect of a unit on reparations, reparative justice. You know, and again it doesn't have to be exclusively even the black reparations it's something that could take into account some education around Japanese American reparations for the internment. In World War two it could take in Native American issues of reparations it could take it take into account the Holocaust and the reparations, you know, in that context, but to really find a way to create some language supporting reparations and that's just in the curriculum, the social studies curriculum at the middle and high school level certainly. And then also the the I'm trying to work. There was something on the screen in my mind I'm going back to, but the. I'll just leave it at that that those are some some areas that we can certainly come back to to discussion on. And it's okay Michelle and sure. It was it was the other organization wise. So that was the faith component is, I think about the JCA and stolen bean crinkle but in terms of other organizations at the event. Jennifer is referring to on my t shirt refers to. She's involved with the League of women voters, and the league has, you know, flowing from engagement with with us with HRA and with these issues have now gotten it adopted to within Massachusetts to look at creating reparations as a policy area within the league. And this is a big deal because as it moves forward and if, as it's approved as a area of policy concern then league units, all throughout this, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts can proceed to do work around political work education work around reparations and then likewise that could even lead to the development of a national policy within the league. That that that could then be on its list of areas. So that is one that I don't know if again, there's something we might want to to craft in the report or acknowledge in the report or endorse within the report but that is one that just came to me yesterday. Oh, and then finally bid chamber I'm still not you know that was one that was signaled to kind of look at maybe what things they're doing and, and, and what things you know other folks are doing that could be of relevance. I'm still kind of opening to open to hearing, you know, more if anybody has any context around it. I do know from, you know, that the question of of African American business development he can enterprise development that is certainly an area of right for comparative work. And, and so I will keep a keep a mind on on that one as well, but I just did want to bring that mentioned that the league piece as as well. I'm so glad you did I received an email about that yesterday and that is a really, really great progress and just, I was excited to hear about that and I also think it's important that folks get involved with that organization in particular because who who black folks in particular who are interested to make sure that the policy that the league recommends include is inclusive of different viewpoints and things like that. That is, that's super exciting. And also added the BB triple a to the list there with the bid in the chamber. Okay, excellent so we do have to call or we are going to call our second public comment period and just have to do that before we would lose a quorum so I'm going to open that up right now. Hold on back to Shabazz. Where'd you go. Um, do we need I'm trying to think we can't take any actions without a quorum but I think we can call public comment without one yeah okay. All right, so I'm going to go ahead I'm not going to read there, there he's back I thought he'd come back. And I'm going to go ahead and call our second period of public comment. And, as I said earlier I'm not going to read the full statement again but if you do, if you do have a public comment please use the raise hand function Jennifer we do have a phone number can you remind that person how they might raise their hand. Is it star nine pound nine star nine nine. Okay, so if the person who's coming in on the phone number would like to make a public comment just use the star nine function, and anyone else who would like to make a public comment please go ahead and raise your hand. And I see Dr Shabazz's hand right now so while folks are deciding please go ahead Dr Shabazz. One other group that has come to mind met with us quite a bit early on and that's the land trust and so the very the question of home ownership and affordable housing, a way in which to specifically highlight within our report. The, the goal the idea of how the afro descendants of slavery in Amherst can be prioritized or can be acknowledged within the various projects that are going on in Amherst around affordable housing home ownership. And also homelessness that could specifically take a reparative justice approach as part of their work I know their places. I know there are people donating homes to their their homes hoping that it can be used toward affordable housing for families how do we make that part of the scope of justice as well to to support those actions but to also specifically find ways to to direct it in an angle in a in a toward afro descendants of slavery. That that's something else I wanted to put out there as to in our in our in our whiteboard that that we're listing things out. Just added that Dr Shabazz. Yes, sorry Jen. Can I just add quickly that after you know the nice thing about yesterday there was a lot of folks out at the courts and a lot of folks in general but one of the topics that came up the most regarding reparations or any kind of restorative justice was affordable housing from section eight all the way to home ownership. So, I would say that is definitely one of the main concerns. Were you finished Jennifer. Oh, okay. Sorry I was coughed while you were talking. Yeah, absolutely, absolutely and thank you for for recalling the land trust and they and they did they came to several of our meetings and they're doing that work and there are other people doing that work so. Okay, great. So I don't see any hands I didn't actually close the public comment period I'm going to close it now because I did not see any hands go up. So, but thank you to those who attended. So is next Monday is not a date that we can meet its Juneteenth, and we'll be meeting in all sorts of other ways. And so I would like to make sure though that we do meet again next week. What it work for folks if I do what I normally do which is just send out some ideas in an email and then see where we get that work. Okay. So I'm going to do that and are there any other comments or committee reports or anything else before we adjourn the meeting. There's a quorum so I'll just say we can even stop the recording if you want, but oh no we're still in form, I'm sorry. But the, I'm wondering how do we also specifically and where within the outline we're developing specifically highlight and endorse in some way, the work of ancestral bridges. You know, this is a group. This is not only. I mean this is like really at the center of our most of our concentric circles, in terms of a people black folks in Amherst, who are descendants of the enslaved here in the United States in Massachusetts and in some cases even here right here in Amherst. How do we specifically find a way to endorse to support the the member the remembering the colonization, as Tony Morrison would say or the remembering of the, the families like the bridges, the bias, the, the Jackson's the, you know, on and on those those those families. In some ways we might call the first families of Amherst in the sense of, of black folks who, you know, develop surnames who came out of, who came out of slavery and, and, and created surnames and actually became a part of the citizenry as as full, full human beings, coming out of shadow slavery. How do we do that where do we do that. So that's, you know, that is a specific kind of group that we can have a way of using some of our funds to have ongoing support for. We could, you know, ask them to put forward proposals that we could, or a successor group could act upon in terms of supporting them on an ongoing basis. Michelle will you do that as our, as our chair to ask particularly our member Ms bridges, you know that now, now's the time to show and prove you, you are can remember from her first meeting that she got on it to, to look out for her ancestors. So, show and prove what what what the ancestors telling us we need to do. Absolutely yeah. Yeah, I'll talk to both Ms bridges and Anika and and see what their, their thoughts and wishes would be on that and, and then maybe miss bridges in our next meeting will be able to even talk more about it in the meeting but yeah, I'll do that. If you need any of us for backup, you know, feel free this there's holiday me or. But, you know, definitely I think formally from a HRA, I hope we I'd like to get their, their input to this final report as to what what would constitute a, you know, a reparative, because they, you know, the damage in their case is they were erased. Their presence has been was systematically erased and denied and belittled and, you know, they arose to work against that erasure. You know, and, and it was even damaging a white people's own history in terms of the, the, the marble tablets that were locked away for 20 years, like as though it was a toxic idea to show black and white fought together in the Civil War. So, I, I think it's really time now to kind of hear from them. And, and let's get a specific, you know, item specific recommendation and our in this report. And I know that this falls under people hood, but Amherst is a town itself is. How do you call it, like, like people are in their own little groups, but the black community for is extremely in in their own groups as well. And so bringing that could be the black town meeting, but just ways to bring the black community together as a whole again and then I just remember like back in the back in the day which, you know, everybody went to the new Africa house right like and everybody ate at events at some point and then everybody had stories time with a shoe at some point over at 1200 North Pleasant Street the old Amherst survival center I mean like these are things like you didn't go to school with these people, but, and you didn't necessarily know who they were, but they're people that you knew, because they were part of that community and we kind of lack that nowadays and I understand that that goes under people but I think there should be a strong element to bringing that community back. Absolutely. Absolutely. That. Okay, so that all yeah fits in together and I did invite a Nika to come to one of our upcoming meetings and so maybe what we can do is have her come into our next meeting. And hear from her if she's ready to, you know, talk about her thoughts in terms of recommendations that we would make. And so, all right, I am going to just check here. And I think if there are there any other member reports or any anything else that folks would like to discuss before we we adjourn. Thank you for your patience with me today and and your love and support and great meeting and we'll we'll see you at some point next week and and have a wonderful weekend of Juneteenth festivities next weekend as well. All right, meeting adjourned at 335. Thank you. Surrounding you in. Yeah, you can go and stop the recording. Just going to say