TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa's City Council will work toward appointing members of a new Race Reconciliation Committee Thursday.

The Committee was proposed three years ago, prompted by the George Floyd protests of 2020.

Following the protests, the City of Tampa officially apologized for past racism in a resolution. But since that resolution, little has been done to form the committee until recently.

Last month, community members told council members to select committee members with care and even asked for the number of committee appointments to be doubled.

Thirteen members will be appointed to the community, with city council members each getting an appointment, and the remaining appointments left up to various community organizations.

A city council meeting Thursday will consider selections for the committee.

Evette Lews is president of the NAACP’s Hillsborough County chapter and said reports from the Tampa Bay Partnership and the NAACP’s race scorecard show Tampa has work to do.

“It shows that African-Americans are well far behind when it comes to housing issues, when it comes to law enforcement, when it comes to economic development and growth,” Lewis said. “This is an opportunity for Tampa to standup and do it right.”

The 13-member committee will research five key areas of Tampa including affordable housing, development, youth empowerment, what’s being done for those getting out of prison and ignored history.

The committee will deliver a report to the city council by February, when the committee will be dissolved.