Reparations activists from the US Freedmen Project expressed concerns regarding recent legislative proposals in New Jersey that may include individuals who are not direct descendants of enslaved people in reparations programs. Annette Wilcox, a spokesperson for the group, stated, "You don’t give out remedies to people who haven’t experienced the harm." She criticized local policies that reference historical injustices while proposing to distribute resources more broadly to various marginalized groups, arguing that this dilutes the specific historical context of reparations.
The US Freedmen Project aims to educate the public on the distinctions between African Americans who are direct descendants of enslaved individuals and those who immigrated to the United States in more recent decades. Wilcox specifically addressed the Truth, Reconciliation, and Repair Act, proposed by New Jersey Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson and state Senator Angela McKnight, which seeks to address wealth disparities linked to historical slavery and systemic discrimination.
Devine Prince, president of the US Freedmen Project, criticized the conflation of reparations with broader racial and social justice initiatives, asserting that such conflation risks undermining the reparations movement. He noted that during a public hearing for the New York State Community Commission on Reparations Remedies, residents voiced similar concerns about the inclusion of recent immigrants in reparations discussions.
Aubrey Muhammad, a supporter of the project, testified about the impact of demographic changes in communities like Hempstead, New York, where the population has shifted significantly over the past three decades. According to US Census Bureau data, Black residents now make up 43.2% of Hempstead, while Hispanic or Latino residents account for 45.3%. Muhammad argued that these demographic shifts have led to a misallocation of resources away from historic Black communities.
Prince emphasized the need for reparations policies to be strictly lineage-based, arguing that this approach would withstand legal scrutiny. He expressed concern that broadening the definition of reparations could lead to programs that are unconstitutional, citing the ongoing legal challenges faced by Evanston, Illinois, which was the first city to distribute reparations to Black residents.
The New Jersey lawmakers involved in the reparations proposal did not respond to requests for comment regarding the activists' concerns.