Mayor of St. Louis signs bill creating voluntary donation fund for slavery reparations

The Mayor of St. Louis, Missouri, signed a bill this week creating a fund that individuals and companies can voluntarily contribute to that will ultimately be paid out as slavery reparations to the Black community in the city.

Mayor Tishaura O. Jones says the bill is a “first step” in the important process of issuing reparations to Black residents of St. Louis. The bill does not include measures for distributing the funds, but Jones says the bill starting the fund will be followed by future legislation that will deal with the payout of reparations.

Mayor Jones’ administration is committed to bringing community stakeholders and academics together to develop a plan for what reparations look like in St. Louis to reverse generational wrongs,” the mayor’s office said on Friday.

The bill allows residents and companies to voluntarily donate to the reparations fund by adding donations to their yearly property tax bills, or their quarterly water and refuse bills.

Jones’ office says creating the fund “is a first step on a topic that needs careful attention and deliberate, studied implementation.”