The Dignity Restoration Project advances racial repair as the foundation of a stronger democracy and a more inclusive economy. We are piloting a model for racial repair designed to serve as an inspiration to and a supporting framework for a growing network of over 500 reparative initiatives across the nation.
On October 27, 2025 the Dignity Restoration Project began distributing $5,000 payments to 20 impacted Detroit residents. If you have been contacted, please submit your paperwork to Lisa Delaney with the Coalition for Property Tax Justice to claim your payment.
Context
Racist policies and practices continue to impede the ability of many Americans to live full and free lives. Our nation's inability to address historical and ongoing racial injustices weakens our democracy and limits economic opportunity.
A growing movement focused on racial repair has emerged, with over 500 initiatives currently underway nationwide. To overcome significant challenges and maintain momentum, this movement needs a significant success story: a demonstration of a coalition effectively transitioning from research on racial harm to large-scale reparative action. A coalition in Detroit is positioned to achieve this breakthrough and develop the operational framework to support similar local efforts throughout the country.
A national movement toward racial repair
Why Start in Detroit?
Rock-solid evidence: Since 2009, one in three Detroit homes have undergone tax foreclosure—a higher rate than any other city since the Great Depression. Between 2009 and 2015, the city overvalued 55-85% of homes, disproportionately impacting Black homeowners. Despite this being a violation of the Michigan Constitution, affected residents have received no compensation.
Case in point: Detroit’s property tax foreclosure crisis exemplifies the persistent racial injustice underpinning America’s wealth inequality. The tenfold racial wealth gap in the US has remained unchanged since 1968. In 2016, the median net worth of a white family was approximately $180,000, while the median net worth of a Black family was roughly $18,000. Extensive research has documented how structural racism in housing and finance has fueled this enduring disparity.
Faultline: Michigan is a deeply divided "battleground" state that desperately needs a unifying model of racial repair. The success of our work will be judged by its ability to affirm the dignity of all residents and build a stronger, more inclusive democracy.
Action Plan
The Dignity Restoration Project (DRP) is concentrating its efforts on achieving significant success in Detroit. Recognizing that most Detroit homeowners experienced property overassessment, the DRP will prioritize support for those most severely affected: low-income households eligible for property tax exemptions. The project will:
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Compensate households impacted by foreclosure, beginning with those hardest hit.
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Shift the narrative surrounding the foreclosure crisis by acknowledging the trauma and working to restore dignity.
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Address discriminatory property tax administration by raising awareness of this issue both locally and nationally.
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Develop the infrastructure necessary to support similar initiatives nationwide.
Team
Bernadette Atuahene, Esq., the visionary behind DRP, is a USC law professor residing in Detroit. Her scholarship centers on land unjustly taken from the African Diaspora. She coined the term "dignity restoration" and authored Plundered, the seminal report on Detroit's tax foreclosure crisis.
Dr. Ashawnda Fleming serves as DRP's COO. A seasoned non-profit leader, she brings over 20 years of experience as CEO of local and national organizations, including the American Psychological Foundation and the Hetrick Martin Institute New Jersey.
Sarida Scott, Esq., a Detroit native, serves on DRP's board. She is the Vice President of the Skillman Foundation, and previously held positions as a program officer at the Kellogg Foundation and Executive Director of the Community Development Advocates of Detroit. She holds a JD from UC Berkeley.
Justin Hansford, Esq., a DRP board member, is a law professor at Howard University, where he directs the Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center. A scholar and activist, he specializes in critical race theory, human rights, and social movements.
Chintan Maru, a co-founder and board member, is CEO of the Global Development Incubator Americas, which acts as DRP's fiscal sponsor and incubation partner.
Focus and Funding
The team is currently prioritizing fundraising for its compensation fund. This important work is generously supported by the Ford Foundation, McGregor Fund, Compton Foundation, Fund for Nonviolence, and the Global Development Incubator.
FAQs
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Between 2009 and 2015, the City of Detroit assessed the property value of 53 to 84 percent of homes in violation of the Michigan Constitution (which prohibits assessing property at more than 50 percent of its market value).
Source: California Law Review, p. 109.
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The Dignity Restoration Project (DRP) is a racial justice initiative that aims to compensate and seeks to restore the dignity of Detroiters who lost their homes due to unlawful property tax assessments that disproportionately affected Black homeowners.
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A home is more than just a home and losing it impacts all aspects of your life, including personal dignity.
Dignity restoration seeks to address both compensation and dignity by placing individuals who have lost a home in the driver’s seat, allowing them to determine how they are made whole.
You can learn more about dignity restoration through the following link.
Source: Law & Social Inquiry.
DRP has been exploring symbolic compensation options that best offer autonomy.
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We're in the process of defining eligibility criteria.
Our intent is to identify homeowners who lost their homes unjustly (homeowners who were overassessed and would have qualified for the property tax exemption) and phase compensation, starting with Detroiters who demonstrate the greatest financial need.
To implement this approach, we will likely look at the following criteria:
Individual owned a home in Detroit which was foreclosed upon due to unpaid taxes between 2009 and 2019 before moratoriums beginning in 2020.
The homeowner occupied the foreclosed property as their primary residence.
The homeowner is currently alive and lives in Detroit.
Eligibility will be limited in the initial fund. We will be working in phases to potentially expand eligibility with future funds.
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No form of compensation can replace a person’s home and what they lost. The compensation provided is only symbolic for those who lost their homes for property taxes they should not have been paying in the first place because they qualified for the property tax exemption.
We are in the process of exploring cash payment compensation with the amount to be determined.
This symbolic compensation is not in lieu of other benefits, and individuals should still continue applying for other city-based programs that are targeted toward populations that lost their homes to property tax foreclosures.
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Currently we aim to focus our efforts on those hardest hit from unlawful property foreclosure in Detroit: homeowners who the City over assessed and they lost their home for property taxes they were not supposed to be paying in the first place because they qualified for the property tax exemption.
Through this work, there will also be an opportunity for other cities and programs to learn.
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Help us spread the word within the community to those who may have been affected to receive the latest, accurate information.
If you have questions or feedback, please reach out using the “Contact” link.
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We are currently in an initial phase determining whether we can raise the funds and establish the mechanisms to distribute them. We hope to announce whether we’re able to move forward soon.
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If we don’t reach a minimum fundraising goal, we will not be able to provide anyone compensation.
If successful in meeting these goals, we intend to have a few rounds of fundraising and compensation, starting with the hardest hit Detroiters.
Our approach is intentionally phased to offer rounds of compensation, allowing for continuous fundraising and expanding groups of eligible beneficiaries.
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The number of property tax foreclosures coupled with the state Constitution’s mandate regarding property taxation makes for an unprecedented situation.
Detroit also has a legacy of organizing and activism in resistance to grave injustices.
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The current focus is only on the City of Detroit.
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Since 2009, the City of Detroit has illegally over assessed property values and inflated its property tax bills. When homeowners cannot afford to pay, Wayne County forecloses on their homes. Despite efforts to address the problem, the City continues to illegally and inequitably tax Detroiters, especially those who own lower-valued homes.
Source: California Law Review, p. 113.
This property tax foreclosure crisis is an example of structural injustice in the United States which has resulted in a 10x racial wealth gap. In 2016, the median net worth of a white family was ~$180,000, while it was ~$18,000 for a Black family. This inequality can be accounted for by the racial injustices in the housing and financial sectors.
Source: Federal Reserve.
This effort intends to compensate and restore the dignity of the hardest hit Detroiters.
We hope that success in Detroit can embolden kindred efforts across the United States.
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Yes. Sarida Scott, our project lead, is a born-and-bred Detroiter, who is also a leader in community development and housing-related issues.
Our Advisory Committee is made up of long-term Detroiters who care deeply about the community and have been involved in resolving this issue over the years. They include affected Detroiters and community leaders:
Phyllis Edwards, Bridging Communities
Antoine Jackson, MACC Development
Bonsitu Kitaba, ACLU
Donna Givens Davidson, Eastside Community Network
Hector Hernandez, Southwest Solutions
Tahira Ahmad, Directly impacted citizen
Chintan Maru, Global Development Incubator
Additionally, the development of the Dignity Restoration Project’s approach and design continues to be informed by the community, work of the Coalition for Property Tax Justice, feedback from the People's Forum, and data gathered from affected Detroiters.
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DRP is not directly working with the City. However, we are in continuous conversation and would welcome the opportunity to collaborate with our local leaders in ways that create more opportunities for Detroiters.
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The Global Development Incubator (GDI) is an incubator for transformational development ventures, where we deploy our teams to incubate social impact solutions.
Since August 2022, GDI has been working closely with Professor Bernadette Atuahene, Sarida Scott, and the Advisory Committee to prepare the launch of DRP.
GDI is also a fiscal sponsor of DRP. -
“A fiscal sponsor is a nonprofit organization that (may) provide fiduciary oversight, financial management, and other administrative services to help build the capacity of charitable projects.” National Council of Nonprofits
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Our initial work is being funded by the Compton Foundation, Ford Foundation, Hudson Webber Foundation, and the Global Development Incubator.
Donate
Interested in donating to DRP?
You will be redirected to a third-party site to make your donation. The funds will be collected by the Global Development Incubator (GDI), the fiscal sponsor and incubation partner for DRP. 100% of the donations made to GDI will be transferred to DRP. The funds will be used to compensate Detroiters for the harm they faced.
Learn more
For more detail on our work, please read our frequently asked questions. If you have more questions or feedback, contact us.