Reparations Commission Meeting | March 29, 2024

Saturday, March 15, 2025

Introduction of commission members

Labor acknowledgment regarding enslaved ancestors

Council member roles and support for the commission

Personal history and motivations for joining the commission

Addressing the racial wealth gap in St. Paul

Legal framework for reparations

Documenting and addressing the destruction of the Rondo community

Strategies for tangible and measurable outcomes

Systemic disparities in health, education, and housing

Historical context of institutional racism in St. Paul

Notable Quotes (4)

I'm not here to like interlope in the conversations or chime in and that I'm more like a guide on the side.
— Mitra Jalali

Commission governanceRegarding her advisory role.

I know quite a bit when it comes to just maneuvering the legal spaces and maneuvering government.
— Shena Johnson

Support strategyExplaining her utility to the commission.

Reparations offers a chance to not have to worry about balancing the interest of whites and descendants of slavery but to really look at the harm caused.
— Arthur Ray McCoy

Reparations definitionDistinguishing reparations from general equity.

I feel like this is one way I could put my anger into some sort of reparations when it comes to the miseducation of black people.
— Kulia Prangle

EducationLinking education to reparations.

People (12)

Veronica BertLegislative Aide

New staff member coordinating the commission and roll call.

Mitra JalaliSt. Paul City Council President

Providing thought partnership and structural support for the commission.

Shena JohnsonCity Council Member

Representing the east side and serving as a resource for ordinance language.

Jeremy EnglishCommissioner

Longtime Rondo neighborhood resident.

Nyla GoldenCommissioner

Advocate for universal healthcare and closing racial health disparities.

Trahern CrewsCommissioner

Focuses on reparations mandates and local-to-federal policy scaling.

Joseph 'Joe' BlorCommissioner

Focuses on tangible, measurable reparations outcomes.

Arthur Ray McCoyCommissioner

Focused on creating a legal underpinning for reparations that survives challenges.

Nick MuhammadCommissioner

Interested in institutional supports for future generations.

Jam PicketCommissioner

Focuses on housing injustices and qualitative data.

Kulia PrangleCommissioner

Focuses on educational disparities and financial reparations.

Carla RobinsonCommissioner

Chair of black ERG at Best Buy; focuses on wealth-building.

Places Mentioned

Rondo NeighborhoodSt. PaulSelby AvenueMarshall AvenueHill SummitHighland ParkPilgrim Baptist Church

Events & Meetings (1)

Legislative Advisory Committee introductory session

Ordinances & Resolutions (1)

Resolution 2177

Apologized for the destruction of the Rondo Community and set up the legislative advisory committee.

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