A growing number of cities across the U.S. are creating committees and task force panels aimed at racial healing. From Albuquerque, New Mexico, to Clemson, South Carolina, towns and municipalities are forming committees to discuss the future of debated monuments and address systemic racism in police departments and other agencies and institutions.
The mostly volunteer committees seek to have honest discussions about their cities’ past around race and propose solutions. In Albuquerque, for example, the Race, History & Healing Project is trying to determine what the city should do with a statue of a Spanish conquistador. Some Native Americans find the image offensive while Hispanic residents who trace their families’ lineage to early Spanish settlers say the statue is a reminder of their own struggles.
