A black pastor from Memphis is spearheading the effort to defeat a measure that would ban the financing of a reparations study in Tennessee, highlighting the partisan rift in the Volunteer State on the issue of reparations.
More than 1,100 people have signed a petition that Rev. Earle Fisher, senior pastor of Abyssinian Baptist Church, has circulated in opposition to “reprehensible legislation” that would ban local governments from “engaging in the vital work of studying or disbursing reparations.”
Last year, the commissioners of Shelby County, which encompasses Memphis, decided to initiate a “feasibility study to consider reparations for the descendants of slaves,” according to the Daily Mail.
Racial lines were clearly visible in the vote; eight of the commissioners of African descent voted in favor of the resolution, while five of the white commissioners either voted against it or chose not to vote at all.
“Prohibit local governments from using monies for the sake of researching or disbursing reparations.” That is the language of Senate Bill 429, which Republican Brent Taylor is now spearheading.
The Republican, whose seat is located inside Shelby County, claims that he is not passing “judgment” on the idea of reparations since he disagrees with the research, which received $5 million from the county commissioners.
While speaking on the floor of the state senate, Taylor made it quite clear that the vote that took place today did not constitute a verdict on reparations.
“That is a big deal for a lot of people in our nation, but it is the federal government’s problem, not ours, and I do not think it is right for our tax dollars to go toward that,” he said.
Rev. Fisher is denouncing the Senate measure and its identical House counterpart, both set for approval on Wednesday, using the terms “misguided” and “morally abhorrent.”
“Money is not the issue here. It all comes down to philosophy. He explained to NewsNation that the issue revolves around political power.
“This is about individuals who are absolutely committed to preserving economic and racial disparities throughout the state, and they are utterly terrified that the truth will eventually surface,” he went on to say. “So, it seems like they would rather no one look into it.”
The reverend argues that the state should donate its surplus funds to a good purpose, such as restitution for slavery.
If Tennessee’s budget is surplusing hundreds of millions—if not billions—of dollars, it signifies that the state has met all of its financial obligations and has no more money to spend. Expensable revenue, if you will, he went on to say.
“Some other groups and entities earn twenty-five times as much for what the majority of us would probably agree is far less important work.”
State Representative Justin J. Pearson (D) of Tennessee, who referred to the measures as “white supremacist legislation,” is one of several progressive Tennessee legislators who have backed Fisher’s petition.
In addition to Los Angeles, California, Boston, Massachusetts, St. Paul, Minnesota, and St. Louis, Missouri, several other U.S. city governments have also been establishing task teams and committees to examine the possibility of reparations.
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