Paula Fillmore joins Washington reparations study advisory panel

Paula Fillmore has been appointed to the Community Advisory Panel for Washington state’s Charles Mitchell and George Washington Bush Study on Reparative Action, a Legislature-funded effort examining reparative policy for descendants of U.S. chattel slavery. The panel is set to begin meeting July 25 in Seattle, with findings to go to the governor and Legislature.

Why it matters: - Washington is one of the first states in the nation to formally study reparative action tied to the enduring impacts of U.S. chattel slavery. - The advisory panel is meant to connect research findings to lived experience so the final recommendations reflect affected communities. - The study’s results will help shape possible policy responses for descendants of victims of chattel slavery in Washington.

What happened: - FMS Global Strategies announced that Paula Fillmore, the firm’s president and CEO, was selected for the Community Advisory Panel for the Charles Mitchell and George Washington Bush Study on Reparative Action. - The Washington State Legislature funds the study. - The Washington State Department of Commerce administers the study in partnership with the Washington State Commission on African American Affairs. - Truclusion, LLC is conducting the research. - The panel’s first in-person session is set for July 25, 2026, in Seattle.

The details: - The study is examining reparative actions for Washington State’s descendants of victims of U.S. chattel slavery. - The research is looking at how chattel slavery’s effects show up in Washington’s laws, policies and economic structures. - The study is expected to produce concrete, data-driven recommendations for reparative action. - Panel members will work with Policy & Valuation Leads Dr. Thomas Craemer and Marvin Slaughter. - The panel will help interpret community data and shape equitable reparations policy recommendations. - The panel’s work is intended to strengthen the validity of findings and turn data into community-centered narratives. - Fillmore said the study is about truth, repair and the futures communities deserve. - Fillmore said the lived experience of Black Washingtonians should be the foundation of the research, not a footnote. - Fillmore brings more than 30 years of advocacy and systems-change experience to the panel. - Fillmore leads FMS Global Strategies and the We Build Back Better Alliance, a statewide coalition of more than 900 partner organizations. - Fillmore’s policy work spans banking, cannabis, small business development, environmental justice and transportation contracting. - Fillmore also serves as co-chair of the Washington State Artificial Intelligence Task Force. - Fillmore is an NPLA-credentialed lobbyist and political analyst whose work spans 15 states and four presidential administrations.

Between the lines: - The panel structure suggests Washington is trying to pair academic research with community accountability before policy recommendations are finalized. - The study’s focus on law, policy and economic structures signals a broad review, not just a symbolic or historical exercise. - Fillmore’s appointment adds an established policy advocate with cross-sector experience to a process likely to draw sustained public attention.

What's next: - The Community Advisory Panel will continue with virtual discussions after the July 25 in-person meeting in Seattle. - Study findings and recommendations will be delivered to the governor and the Legislature. - Those recommendations could inform future reparative policy debates in Washington.

The bottom line: - Washington is moving a reparations study from research into policy design, and the advisory panel will help determine how grounded that work is in community experience.