This Maryland Town Is the First City in the US to Take Up Issue of Reparations on a Voting Ballot

City council members in the City of Greenbelt, Maryland approved a resolution Monday to include the issue of reparations on its 2021 referendum.

The city council voted to include Greenbelt Mayor Colin Byrd’s resolution to start a Greenbelt Reparations Commission on the town’s voting ballot, making Greenbelt the first U.S. city to put the issue of reparations on a ballot to be voted on, according to Mayor Byrd.

Byrd, who also chairs the City Council, said if residents vote “yes” on the resolution, the Greenbelt Reparations Commission would be a group of 21 members appointed by the city council, who would recommend reparations for African-American and Native American residents of Greenbelt.

The City of Greenbelt has had a long history of excluding African-Americans from the city, Byrd told WUSA9. {snip}

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