Lauren Hood and Maurice Weeks.
Citiing a lack of progress, two members of Detroit's reparations task force have resigned after serving less than a year.
Co-Chair Lauren Hood and Maurice Weeks stepped down Saturday during the task force's first public meeting since August, Sarah Rahal of the Detroit News reports. Hood said she and Weeks felt discouraged about asking the City Council for support and had concerns about the group "lacking a broad strategic vision."
"I think, collectively, that group of people has different ideas about what reparations is fundamentally and we didn't get to a place where we had a broad strategic vision," Hood said, according to the News. "I'm happy that we're now getting things done. We've got some partners who can help us organize existing information that will help make decisions, but we also still desperately need a strategy for how we engage the public around this work."
In 2021, about 80 percent of Detroit voters approved a measure calling for the creation of a task force to study the issue of reparations.
Residents have expressed different views on what reparations for slavery should be. Some want a financial payout while others have advocated for a general fund to help those in need or for education and job training.
