The Presbytery of Baltimore on Saturday voted to establish a Reparative Justice Fund, which will provide support to African America congregations and communities in response to the enduring harm of slavery and systemic racism.
The fund is the first of its kind by a presbytery in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
Six historically Black congregations will receive initial priority for funding: Cherry Hill Community, Grace, Knox, Lochearn, Madison Avenue, and Trinity Presbyterian Churches are recognized as historically underfunded and excluded. They will get at least one-quarter of the fund’s resources, and additional money will go towards community-based projects focused on equity and justice.
An independent nonprofit board of directors will govern the Reparative Justice Fund. Incorporating board members will be a combination of people nominated from within the Presbytery and African American leaders from the historically Black communities being served. This way, the funds will help those most impacted by history’s inequities, reflecting the principle that true reparations are shaped and determined by the communities they are meant to serve.
“This Fund is more than a symbolic act—it is a faithful witness to the gospel,” said General Presbyter Rev. Dr. Jacqueline Taylor in a statement. “Reparations name the harm, affirm dignity, and open the way to a more just future. Through this Fund, the Presbytery of Baltimore is aligning its resources with its faith, living out God’s call to mend what has been broken.”
To start the fund, the Presbytery will use 15 percent of its unrestricted net assets and 15 percent of its designated mission and urban ministry funds over the next two years. After 2027, the Presbytery’s Manual will be amended to state that 10 percent of net proceeds from all property sales will go towards the fund as a sustainable, long-term source of financial support. Several years ago, the Reparative Actions Fund Reserve was created, and that will be added to the funds, too.
Establishing the Reparative Justice Fund is the result of years of “prayerful discernment and study” led by the Presbytery’s Dismantling Racism Team, which began broad consultation with congregations and communities in 2022. They recommended the urgent need for repair beyond charity, basing their proposal on the core principle and theological conviction that “repentance requires both confession and action.”
Also in 2022, the 225th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) adopted an overture called, “An Apology to African Americans for the Sin of Slavery and Its Legacy.” It called on the churches to seriously reflect upon their complicity in slavery and systemic racism and take measurable steps towards repairing that harm. The Presbytery of Baltimore endorsed this action at the time, studying how it could turn that directive into real action for its community. This week’s vote solidified that commitment.
“It is exciting to see this critical work progress. This is not only a historic moment for Baltimore Presbytery—it is a long awaited new beginning,” said Rev. Jermaine Ross-Allam, director of the PC(USA) Center for the Repair of Historic Harms, in a statement. “Inspired by Our Creator, their actions today affirm that repairing centuries of injustice remains right, necessary, and possible. May God bless this fund to plant seeds of trust and transformation that will repair, inspire, and equip generations to come.”
The Reparative Justice Fund will be implemented starting in 2026, when the independent board is formally established and the first disbursements are made.
