[eesmith]

Where's the difference?

As https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34391669 quoted from https://sf.gov/sites/default/files/2023-01/HRC%20Reparations... , the list of requirements for this proposed reparation depends on records.

You can easily read "identified as ‘Black/African American’ on public documents", "proof of residency", "Record of attendance", and other things which require evidentiary records.

Even "Descendant of someone enslaved through US chattel slavery before" requires records.