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Washington reportedly launched a study on “actions to restore” slavery descendants on Friday after allocating $300,000 to the effort.
Last year, the Washington State Legislature funded a study to examine the history and impact of slavery in the US as it relates to “the area of the former territories of Washington and Oregon.”
The state also wants to analyze how citizens have been affected by state laws and programs related to criminal justice, economics and education, according to the Washington State Department of Commerce.
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A Chicago suburb, Evanston, Illinois, even paid $25,000 to Black residents to address past racial housing discrimination. (Ozan Kose/AFP via Getty Images)
State documents show the legislature approved $300,000 in funding for the project. The Washington State Department of Commerce has retained 10% of the funds for administrative costs to administer the program and the remaining funds will be distributed annually during the 2026 to 2027 fiscal year, from July 1 through the end of June.
The department is open to charitable or private donations to “expand the breadth and depth of research.”
Ashley Gardner, the project's lead director, vowed to completely overhaul the historic injustice during an information session last month.
“We intended to leave no stone unturned in the research,” Gardner said, according to the Seattle Times.
The amount of money awarded by the state was the result of consultation with the Commission on African American Affairs. The commission represents the African American community in Washington advising the governor, legislature and federal agencies on public policy and implementation.
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Aerial view of the Washington State Capitol in Olympia, Washington. (David Ryder/Getty Images)
Researchers must have a Ph.D. degrees in history, African American studies, sociology and several other listed social science and liberal arts degrees with a “specific focus” on “recovery or anti-slavery discourse in the United States.” The survey sought candidates “with the expertise to calculate the current value of uncompensated slave labor for the direct victims of slavery in the United States.”
The launch of the study came after the state released a survey aimed at residents to help inform policy recommendations within the study.
“We have a duty to look at the national picture, and to understand, is Washington to blame, and if it is to what extent?” Marvin Slaughter Jr., who co-leads the statistical and policy evaluation team, said.
The research team, the Washington Department of Commerce and the Commission on African American Affairs did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
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Despite efforts to roll out compensation, some of these programs are facing challenges due to budgetary or legal pressures. The cities of Evanston and San Francisco have been hit with accusations of racism. (Getty Images)
Washington is following many other local municipalities and counties from coast to coast in looking learning about the damage slavery, Jim Crow-era policies, and redistricting policies that led to housing discrimination in order to extract compensation in some way. Many others have already conducted research, which has led to detailed past review reports linked to the researchers' policy recommendations.
A suburb of Chicago – Evanston, Illinois – even paid $25,000 to Black residents to address past discrimination. houses discrimination by its system.
As for what recovery might look like in Washington, researchers reportedly believe it's too early to decide.
“Should it be cash payments? Should it be pensions? Should it be health care?” asked Thomas Craemer, co-leader of the value and policy assessment team on the research project.
“There are many ideas,” he continued. “This is a research project. We don't really make any decisions, and we don't want to. We want to let the public talk to us and guide us.”
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Despite attempts to issue compensationssome of the programs are facing bottlenecks due to budgetary or legal pressures. The cities of Evanston and San Francisco have been to be beaten with charges over allegations of racism because of their efforts to restore.
