Item Description:
title
Establish Hennepin County’s Reparative Justice Research Task Force - offered by Commissioner Conley and Commissioner Greene
body
WHEREAS, Hennepin County’s Race Equity Advisory Council (REAC) was formed in 2019, and each year makes recommendations that are specific and actionable to contribute to structural improvements of the institution; and
WHEREAS, the mission of REAC is to strengthen the county's goal of disparity elimination and to advise the Board of Commissioners and county administration on the county's vision and strategy focused on eliminating racial disparities and advancing racial equity throughout Hennepin County; and
WHEREAS, REAC’s recommendations to the Board of Commissioners in years 2024 and 2025, as a part of its annual report, identified the significance of exploring reparative justice; and
WHEREAS, Hennepin County remains focused on intentionally confronting and overcoming barriers that impact many residents, disproportionately residents that are Black and Indigenous; and
WHEREAS, in REAC’s 2025 annual report, the council states that the establishment of a Reparations Research Task Force in Hennepin County is a necessary and courageous step toward acknowledging past harms and building a more equitable future; and
WHEREAS, Hennepin County, like many jurisdictions, has a documented history of racially discriminatory policies, including housing covenants, exclusionary zoning, and unequal access to public services. These policies have contributed to significant racial disparities in wealth, health, education, and housing that persist today. Residents have increasingly called for reparative justice.
Resolution:
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners establishes a Reparative Justice Research Task Force, reporting to REAC, and directs the County Administrator to work in partnership with the Chairs of REAC to establish the membership and meeting schedule of the Reparative Justice Research Task Force by December 31, 2026, and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Reparative Justice Research Task Force will provide a foundation for informed, community-driven recommendations to address the enduring impacts of slavery, segregation, redlining, and systemic racism on Black and Indigenous communities in Hennepin County, and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Reparative Justice Research Task Force will conduct a historical analysis and investigate the county’s role in policies and practices that contributed to racial harm and partner with academic institutions and community historians to document local impacts. The taskforce will include in its analysis the areas of criminal justice, education, transportation and displacement, employment and labor discrimination, healthcare access, environmental justice, land use policies and property taxation, and cultural and historic erasure, and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Reparative Justice Research Task Force will utilize frameworks such as the Attachment, Regulation and Competency model to guide their recommendations for the development of policies including housing restitution, educational investment, economic development, and direct compensation, and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that REAC shall include any analysis and findings from the Reparative Justice Research Task Force in its annual report to the County Board of Commissioners.
Recommendation from County Administrator: No Recommendation