Hayward, Alameda County officials propose Russell City reparations fund

Long-ago residents of Russell City once a haven for Black and Latino families in modern Hayward that was demolished in the s and s may soon be eligible to receive reparations aimed at closing the racist wounds that have never healed On Thursday the City of Hayward and Alameda County Supervisors Elisa Marquez and Nate Miley stated plans to establish the Russell City Redress Fund for former Russell City residents which will attempt to succeed where similar efforts across the state have folded or faltered The proposal which requirements the approval of the Board of Supervisors is scheduled to go before that group at its next meeting July When I was on The Hayward City Council in and we issued the apology I knew that was meaningful but it wasn t enough Marquez noted They re group members still in the present day they haven t gone away The hurt and pain and trauma that this has caused are still here and we re centering those experiences The former unincorporated area in Alameda County became an epicenter for Black and Latino people after World War II as discriminatory housing policies across the Bay Area pushed minorities to find homes in Russell City Though it didn t have a fire department or basic services like sanitation because of its unincorporated status the neighborhood became a hub of blues music and attracted entertainers such as Ray Charles and Bay Area blues singer Dottie Ivory But in Alameda County used eminent domain to take property from residents and annexed the district into the city of Hayward to make way for an industrial park The city bulldozed homes and razed approximately parcels An estimated people were displaced The Hayward City Council formally apologized in for the destruction of the neighborhood The city took another step forward with the establishment of the Russell City Arts Committee in which gathered photographs art and other stories from former residents to honor the legacy of the former population Click to access RCRJP-Gone-But-Never-Forgotten pdf Alameda County extended a similar apology in The county created a Reparations Commission that same year to review evidence of the injustice done to Russell City residents a first step acknowledging this injustice Marquez reported Raised in the Kelly Hill neighborhood Marquez had heard about Russell City from her classmates at Fairview Elementary School As a young child it didn t make a lot of sense like what do you mean it doesn t exist anymore When I got involved in cabinet I learned about the destruction of the population Marquez explained It was a place where legendary musicians came to play like Ray Charles There was a strong bond and public pride The fund will be established at a local foundation and supported with from the City of Hayward from Marquez s office and from Miley s office The funds are intended to go to living former Russell City residents who had their property seized by the county First agents need to finalize eligibility requirements applications for redress payments and forms of compensation according to the county It is imperative that we do what we can while owners are still living Hayward Mayor Mark Salinas reported on behalf of the Hayward City Council in a message The state s reparations task force distributed a description of recommendations to lawmakers in which advocated for direct cash payments to casualties of anti-Black racism Though the state offered a formal apology for the legacy of slavery and racism in Gov Gavin Newsom pledged that direct cash payments would not be part of the state s reckoning with its past But Alameda County has remained committed to addressing the local epicenter of racial justice in the shadow of Russell City Though the announcement is a major step for the Reparations Commission Marquez explained that the fund is not over the hill yet She hopes her colleagues on the board will see the significance of the efforts when they take up the proposal at the July meeting She contrasted this move with the erasure of historical Black figures from leadership websites the reversal of diversity equity and inclusion programs and the increased policing of immigrant communities With the background of everything going on at the federal level it s more fundamental now than ever that we uplift this reality Marquez reported We control our own voices values and destiny at the local level