Testimony at the South Bend City Council meeting on June 8, 2026, when the Reparatory Justice Commission presented its report to the Council.
Hello, my name is Marty Wolfson. I am the Vice-President of the South Bend Reparations Working Group, referred to earlier by our President, Nimbi Cushing. I strongly support her statement, and of course when we say reparations we also include reparatory justice.
I also strongly support the analysis and recommendations from the Reparatory Justice Commission. I appreciate all the hard work that Commission members did, and the excellent presentation tonight.
Our group has spoken to people in a number of different organizations about the need for reparations. From those talks, and from other conversations, there are a number of questions about reparations that have been raised.
The first is, “why are you supporting reparations for Black people; don’t you, as a white person, benefit from the situation as it is?”
It is true that, when applying for a job or a promotion, housing, or other opportunities, if one group is discriminated against, another group benefits. And that group is most often white people. Nevertheless, white people should support reparations because it is a matter of JUSTICE!
I, as a white person, can’t change how I was born, but I can fight against injustice. I can work to create a society in which all people can relate to each other as equals. And to create that society, we need to work together as equals.
Also, if one group can suffer discrimination, then so can others. As Dr. King said, ‘Injustice Anywhere is a Threat to Justice Everywhere.”
A second question is, “why are you focusing on Black people? There are others who face discrimination and difficulties.”
Yes, that’s true, but only Black people faced 250 years of slavery. The enslavers didn’t want Black people to earn income, own their own homes or land, build wealth, or even learn to read and write. Slavery was followed by 100 years of Jim Crow and, continuing to this day, discrimination in every aspect of society.
We understand that there are many people who face discrimination and who are struggling. We support a decent standard of living and a life free of discrimination and oppression for all Americans.
A third question is, “why are you even talking about slavery? I didn’t own any slaves; why are you asking me to pay for it?”
No, we as individuals didn’t take part in slavery, but we as a society did. And it is the responsibility of our society to repair the harms that were done. I applaud the Commission and the Council for taking steps to make that happen.