Fulton County Reparations Task Force releases landmark report documenting centuries of harm
A years-long effort to document the lasting impact of slavery and systemic discrimination in Fulton County reached a major milestone this week, as county leaders and researchers unveiled a sweeping reparations report they say is the first of its kind in the nation.
"This is phase one," said Fulton County Commissioner Marvin Arrington Jr., who first introduced the idea in 2021 after seeing similar efforts in Evanston, Illinois. "We've identified and documented the harm. Now the question becomes—what do we do about it?"
The report—spanning more than 600 pages—represents nearly five years of research by the Fulton County Reparations Task Force, examining how government policies and practices contributed to racial disparities in wealth, health, housing, and criminal justice.
A first-of-its-kind study at the county level
Task force leaders say the report is unique because it focuses specifically on the role of county government, rather than federal or state systems.
"This is the first reparations task force developed at the county level," said Dr. Karcheik Sims-Alvarado, the task force chair.
Researchers centered their work on areas where Fulton County has direct responsibility—courts, jails, elections, libraries and public health.
From there, they examined how policies in those systems contributed to long-term harm for Black residents.
Tracing harm—from slavery to modern disparities
The report documents a wide range of historical injustices, including:
- Slavery-era taxation: Enslaved people were treated as property, generating significant tax revenue for the county
- Convict leasing and chain gangs: Black men made up a disproportionate share of forced labor populations
- Land loss and displacement: Black communities, including those in Buckhead, were removed through eminent domain
- Racial terror: Fulton County recorded dozens of lynchings, with families still impacted today
- Discriminatory taxation: Black property owners were often taxed at higher rates than white residents
Researchers say these systems worked together to extract wealth from Black communities while building public infrastructure.
"Black people literally built the county," Sims-Alvarado said during the presentation, pointing to data showing enslaved people accounted for a significant share of early tax revenue.
A formula to measure harm
One of the most striking elements of the report is an attempt to quantify the financial impact of those harms.
Using what researchers call an "extraction and accumulation" model, the team calculated the value of stolen labor, lost wages and compounded interest over time.
Even a conservative estimate tied to slavery alone produced staggering numbers.
"Just 10 years of labor in Fulton County comes out to about $903 billion," Sims-Alvarado said.
That figure does not include decades of discrimination that followed.
Real families, real impacts
Beyond data, the report also traces harm through individual stories.
Researchers identified descendants of people directly affected by historical injustices, including families whose land was taken in what is now Buckhead.
In one case, a family's lost property—if retained—could be worth an estimated $15 million today, according to the report's analysis.
"It's not just the dollar amount," Sims-Alvarado said. "It's lost opportunities, lost freedom—what that land could have meant for generations."
What comes next: Phase two
County leaders emphasized that no reparations decisions have been made yet.
The task force has been given an extension through at least 2027 to develop formal recommendations, which will then go before the Fulton County Board of Commissioners for a vote.
Those recommendations could include a range of options—from direct payments to community investments or policy changes.
Arrington acknowledged the complexity ahead.
"The task force can only make recommendations," he said. "The board will ultimately decide what—if anything—is adopted."
A local effort with national implications
Leaders say the report is intended to serve as a blueprint for other counties and cities across Georgia and the U.S.
"This is how movements start—at the ground level," Sims-Alvarado said.
Already, officials say similar conversations are happening in other jurisdictions, including Atlanta and Decatur.
For supporters, the report marks a significant step forward in a long-running national debate.
"The first step is acknowledgment," Arrington said. "Now that the harm is documented, the conversation changes."