Who is Shamann Walton? San Francisco reparations committee meeting delayed as official attends birthday bash in Colombia
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA: A reparations committee meeting had to be postponed after Shamann Walton, a member of San Francisco's board of supervisors, could not make it in time. Walton was reportedly attending a birthday party in Colombia. Due to his absence, the meeting will now be held in March.
San Francisco Supervisor Shamann Walton was expected to attend the meeting on Tuesday, February 7, but got stuck in Colombia, according to Daily Mail. Apparently, his trip also included a stop at Hooters. Walton's chief of staff Natalie Gee told the publication he was in South America for a friend's birthday party.
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Who is Shamann Walton?
Shamann Walton is a democratic politician who has been serving as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors since 2019, representing District 10. Walton, who was raised by his mother in Vallejo, California, served as President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors from January 8, 2021 to January 9, 2023, after serving as the head of the San Francisco Board of Education.
An alum of Morris Brown College, from where he graduated in 1998, Walton has a master's degree in public administration from San Francisco State University. He was first elected as the supervisor for District 10 in 2018. In February 2020, Walton formulated a resolution calling for reparations for the city's African American population, which eventually led to the formation of a task force in May 2021, to study financial compensation, community programs, and other ways to make reparations to the descendants of slaves.
What was the meeting's agenda?
The reparations committee is planning to dispense $5 million per qualifying person in the Bay Area, as per the Daily Mail report. As per a draft report by the African American Reparations Advisory Committee, residents would need to meet at least two out of eight requirements to be eligible and should be at least 18 years of age and have identified as black or African American on public documents for at least ten years.
While Walton's absence has delayed the meeting by almost a month, it is not expected to have any major impact on the reparations or the committee's final report, as per Natalie Gee. "This is not a delay for reparations. The final report is due in June. Most certainly, Supervisor Walton has no control over the airlines and flight delays," Gee said.