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Advocates press council to bring Office of Freedmen Affairs to a vote
Summary
Representatives of the Philadelphia Reparations Coalition urged council to place a measure establishing an Office of Freedmen Affairs on the floor for a vote, saying the office should specifically serve descendants of chattel slavery and demanding meetings with the council president and city solicitor.
Speakers representing the Philadelphia Reparations Coalition urged Philadelphia City Council to formally advance legislation to create an Office of Freedmen Affairs dedicated to descendants of chattel slavery.
At the Germantown town hall, a coalition representative said the proposal should be brought to the floor "and if somebody has a problem with it, then they have to go to court about it," arguing the constitution requires the city to act. The speaker asked for a meeting with the council president and the city solicitor to resolve outstanding legal questions.
Council staff did not adopt or schedule a vote at the event; the speaker said they had delivered a written request and asked for a meeting with council leadership. The presenter also thanked Councilman Curtis Jones for prior work on the topic and noted the proposal was developed following hearings and community engagement.
The speaker framed the office as narrowly focused on descendants of chattel slavery rather than a broader race-based office and said it would address an institutional gap specific to that constituency. No formal motion or timeline for council action was recorded at the town hall.
