Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Reparations topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Unity Church donates $100,000 to Saint Paul Reparations Commission; council accepts
Summary
The council accepted a $100,000 donation from Unity Church Unitarian to the Saint Paul Recovery Act Community Reparations Commission to support outreach, education and archival work tied to the commission's 2026 plan.
The Saint Paul City Council accepted a $100,000 gift from Unity Church Unitarian on Monday to support the Saint Paul Recovery Act Community Reparations Commission’s 2026 work plan.
Reverend Dr. Oscar Sinclair, senior minister at Unity Church, said the congregation saw the gift as a moral commitment to restorative justice: “What we do is we point to the world as it is and the world as it ought to be,” Sinclair said. Marcia Hayes, chair of the Unity board of trustees, described the donation as the product of the congregation’s deliberations and said the funds will support public outreach, education and an archive documenting the histories of American descendants of chattel slavery in Saint Paul.
Commission members and past elected officials present welcomed the donation as a catalyst for further philanthropic support. Russ Ballinger, a former council member, said the gift will help the commission design policy recommendations and strengthen public engagement.
Council President Naker read a written statement from Council Member Shaniqua Johnson (on maternity leave) thanking Unity Church and expressing optimism about the commission’s work. The council voted to accept the grant and amend the 2026 operating budget to include the $100,000 donation.
Next steps: The commission will use the funds to expand public outreach and to support the commission’s 2026 work plan, including educational programming and archival projects.
