Fulton County Commissioner Marvin S. Arrington, Jr. to Host Panel Discussion as Reparations Taskforce Releases Harm Report

Fulton County District 5 Commissioner Marvin S. Arrington, Jr. will host a panel discussion on Thursday, April 16 as the Fulton County Reparations Taskforce releases its Harm Report.

Taskforce Chair Dr. Karcheik Sims-Alvarado, Vice Chair Marcus Coleman, and Secretary Dr. Amanda Meng will highlight the report’s findings as part of a panel discussion moderated by Commissioner Arrington. The event will take place from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Auburn Avenue Research Library, 101 Auburn Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30303. Residents can RSPV for the discussion at https://tinyurl.com/2026HarmReport. The groundbreaking 600-page Harm Report details the human and economic impact of slavery and the Jim Crow era in Fulton County. The report was based on original research and review of primary source documents from Fulton County court records and other available sources.

The Reparations Taskforce Harm Report Release and Panel Discussion will fall on the 162nd Anniversary of the Compensated Emancipation Act. Signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln on April 16, 1862, 8 months before the Emancipation Proclamation, the Compensated Emancipation Act was the first federal legislation freeing a significant number of enslaved people.

The Fulton County Reparations Taskforce was established five years ago, in April 2021, as a result of legislation sponsored by Commissioner Arrington. It serves as an advisory body to the Board of Commissioners to investigate. The Taskforce is charged with providing recommendations to the Board of Commissioners regarding priorities, objectives, and policies which will support the revitalization, preservation, and stabilization of the Black/African American population in Fulton County in the form of reparations.