Tyrone N. Butts
APE Reporter
52
Wayne targets profits from slavery
Wayne County is wading into the emotional tinderbox of slavery reparations.
The Board of Commissioners is weighing an ordinance to force firms bidding on county contracts of $20,000 or more to disclose whether they invested in, or supported or profited in some manner from the institution of slavery.
The ordinance doesn't address the controversial idea that companies that made money from slaves should pay their descendants. It would, however, gather information that could be used in reparations suits against those firms.
This i
very sensitive, but it's not going away, said Commissioner Kwame Kenyatta, D-Detroit, a sponsor.
The argument you hear is, 'I wasn't around in slavery. My company wasn't around.' Well, let's f
ind
out. Let's loo
k at the wealth of the old-money companies.
The Detroit City Council considered a similar proposal earlier this year and in 2002. Both versions went nowhere
Commissioners could vote on the county ordinance May 6.
It would apply only to firms founded before 1865. No one knows how many exist, but they include some of Michigan's most venerable businesses: Comerica Bank, the Stroh Cos., the law firm of Butzel Long and MichCon.
Several companies contacted by The Detroit News about the proposal either refused comment or didn't return phone messages.
Kenyatta said companies that disclose slave profits wouldn't be at a disadvantage for contracts, but those who refuse could be denied them.
Logistical questions already dog the pro
posal. Among them: What constitutes profits? What prevents companies from lying on disclosure forms? Didn't most U.S. businesses in the early 19th century profit in some way from slavery?
" h
ave no idea
how thi
s would even work, said Commissioner Lyn Bankes, R-Livonia. " want to be sympathetic, but we need to be realistic. This would impact businesses in a tough economy.
Wayne's proposal comes 16 months after Chicago became the nation's first big municipality to require the slavery disclosure. So far, only one company out of hundreds has acknowledged slave profits.
Lawsuits seeking reparations have failed for one big reason: Slavery was fully legal until the 13th Amendment in 1864, said Robert A. Sedler, a Wayne State University law professor who has studied the issue.
" don't think we gain much from this (reparations debate), Sedler said. There are a lot of present-day problems that are the result of the long and sad legacy of racial discrimination.
We should be dealing with these.
***************
I don't think any business, slave profits or not, should do business with the city of Detroit.
T.N.B.
Wayne targets profits from slavery
Wayne County is wading into the emotional tinderbox of slavery reparations.
The Board of Commissioners is weighing an ordinance to force firms bidding on county contracts of $20,000 or more to disclose whether they invested in, or supported or profited in some manner from the institution of slavery.
The ordinance doesn't address the controversial idea that companies that made money from slaves should pay their descendants. It would, however, gather information that could be used in reparations suits against those firms.
This i
very sensitive, but it's not going away, said Commissioner Kwame Kenyatta, D-Detroit, a sponsor.
The argument you hear is, 'I wasn't around in slavery. My company wasn't around.' Well, let's f
ind
out. Let's loo
k at the wealth of the old-money companies.
The Detroit City Council considered a similar proposal earlier this year and in 2002. Both versions went nowhere
Commissioners could vote on the county ordinance May 6.
It would apply only to firms founded before 1865. No one knows how many exist, but they include some of Michigan's most venerable businesses: Comerica Bank, the Stroh Cos., the law firm of Butzel Long and MichCon.
Several companies contacted by The Detroit News about the proposal either refused comment or didn't return phone messages.
Kenyatta said companies that disclose slave profits wouldn't be at a disadvantage for contracts, but those who refuse could be denied them.
Logistical questions already dog the pro
posal. Among them: What constitutes profits? What prevents companies from lying on disclosure forms? Didn't most U.S. businesses in the early 19th century profit in some way from slavery?
" h
ave no idea
how thi
s would even work, said Commissioner Lyn Bankes, R-Livonia. " want to be sympathetic, but we need to be realistic. This would impact businesses in a tough economy.
Wayne's proposal comes 16 months after Chicago became the nation's first big municipality to require the slavery disclosure. So far, only one company out of hundreds has acknowledged slave profits.
Lawsuits seeking reparations have failed for one big reason: Slavery was fully legal until the 13th Amendment in 1864, said Robert A. Sedler, a Wayne State University law professor who has studied the issue.
" don't think we gain much from this (reparations debate), Sedler said. There are a lot of present-day problems that are the result of the long and sad legacy of racial discrimination.
We should be dealing with these.
***************
I don't think any business, slave profits or not, should do business with the city of Detroit.
T.N.B.