Boston officials are weighing whether to keep confidential a long-awaited report documenting discrimination experienced by Black residents in the city since 1940.
The report was prepared by experts at Northeastern University and was intended to accompany a separate Tufts University study examining slavery and its legacy in Boston from the 17th through the 20th centuries.
The Tufts report was pulled from publication after concerns emerged about the accuracy of researcher Kerri Greenidge’s 2022 book, The Grimkes. The criticism intensified in July, when The New York Times reported that scholars had identified alleged factual errors in the work.
The reparations task force is now considering withholding the Northeastern report until a replacement study for the Tufts research can be completed, The Boston Globe reported. There is no indication that the Northeastern report itself contains inaccuracies.
‘Why put the cart before the horse? Why release part two when you haven’t seen one yet,’ task force member Antonia Edwards said, according to the outlet. ‘Originally we were going to combine the reports… so why don’t we just give a complete package to the community?’
The timeline for producing a new report remains uncertain. Both original studies were initially expected to be completed and released publicly by 2023.
The prolonged delays have drawn growing criticism, particularly after $500,000 was paid for the research.
‘Certainly it was our hope that we would have something to present for discussion [by now],’ chairman Joseph D Feaster said on Thursday. ‘But unfortunately something happened that is beyond our control. Hopefully we will be able to get back on track.’
The Boston reparations task force, led by Joseph D Feaster, is considering withholding a Northeastern University report about slavery in the city since 1940
A commission is asking the city to pay $15 billion to African Americans whose ancestors were affected by slavery
The task force has not formally voted to withhold the report, although a majority of its members have indicated they would support the step, The Globe reported. It is also unclear whether the task force can delay publication itself or whether the mayor’s office will make the final decision.
In a joint statement, Tufts and the City of Boston said: ‘The City and the University have reluctantly come to a decision to cancel the contract for the first volume of the report.
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‘The faculty member who had been leading the project is no longer employed by the University. The University has been unable to identify a replacement researcher with the subject-matter expertise necessary to deliver a report meeting the standard that the City and the University both expect.
‘Tufts has returned the full contract value to the City. The funds will be redeployed to support other Task Force priorities.’
The Daily Mail has contacted the mayor’s office, the task force, Greenidge and Northeastern for comment.
In 2024, the Boston People’s Reparations Commission called for the city to provide $15 billion in reparations.
The commission said the money should be invested ‘monetarily and through public policy that will be in effect for black Bostonians for generations.’
Reverend Kevin Peterson, the commission’s head, told WCVB in 2024 that while the group was seeking $15 billion, the amount was ‘not enough’ because ‘every life is incalculable.’
A Tufts research report was never released after Kerri Greenidge (pictured) faced allegations that her 2022 book contained inaccuracies
Alongside its $15 billion request from the city, the commission also held discussions with white churches in Boston about a possible $50 million contribution.
According to the Commission, the enslavement of Africans in Boston began in 1638 and started a ‘legacy of social, political, economic and cultural injustice.’
‘At one point during the city’s history, one in 10 Boston residents were enslaved people who were linked to the trans-Atlantic slave trade,’ according to their website.
Now some members of the Black community in Boston are claiming reparations for the legacy of prejudice and disadvantage they have endured.
They say they are seeking to ‘effectively address the harm inflicted through the enslavement of Blacks in Boston and generations of systemic oppression.’