SAN FRANCISCO legislators voted unanimously on Tuesday to formally apologise to African Americans and their descendants for the city’s role in perpetuating racism and discrimination.

Supervisor Shamann Walton said: “This historic resolution apologises on behalf of San Francisco to the African American community and their descendants for decades of systemic and structural discrimination, targeted acts of violence, atrocities.”

San Francisco joins another major US city, Boston, in issuing an apology. Nine states have formally apologised for slavery, according to the resolution.

Mr Walton, the only black member of the board of supervisors, said: “We have much more work to do but this apology most certainly is an important step.” 

It is the first reparations recommendation of more than 100 proposals made by a city committee to win approval. 

The African American Reparations Advisory Committee also proposed that every eligible black adult receive a $5 million (£3.9m) lump-sum cash payment and a guaranteed income of nearly $100,000 (£79,000) a year to remedy San Francisco’s deep racial wealth gap.

But there has been no action on those and other proposals.

Supervisor Dean Preston, who represents the historically black Fillmore neighbourhood, said: “People want an apology. But they also want a commitment not to repeat harms.”