Evanston, IL Will Soon Pay Reparations to Black Residents

ROBIN RUE SIMMONS, EVANSTON, ILLINOIS, ALDERMAN: So actually, this is our first step. In 2019, November of 2019, we passed Resolution 126-R-19 to commit to reparations for our black community, establishing a fund with our first $10 million of cannabis sales tax. And through a community process, our community weighed in on what forms of reparations the black community would like to prioritize. There were many recommendations. But housing was the priority because it was a consensus of our feedback that was within our purview. Much of the feedback really was the responsibility of our health care system or our education system. But the city of Evanston has laws on this books that were enforced until fair housing was passed that were anti-black and stripped away wealth and opportunity. So we have prioritized housing first, being informed by our community, appropriately. And we have 96 percent of our fund remaining and a commitment from the Reparations Committee and the City Council to grow that fund and expand in programming. So we understand that the road to repair is long, it is tireless, and we understand that we have to take a first step. This is the first step that we have taken, fully understanding that full repair is going to include the need to address our policy and other forms of compensation and restitution and rehabilitation. But we`re taking our first tangible step with housing. And it will repair the damages done, because it will immediately build wealth for black families that were stripped away from having that opportunity through housing equity; $25,000 of housing equity translates into wealth that can be accessed to age in place for seniors, to use that equity to send children to college, or even pay down a mortgage balance. So it`s building wealth. More importantly, it`s also building a sense of place for our black community. We have had an exodus. We`re down to less than 17 percent of the population…

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: OK.

SIMMONS: … when we have been in the mid-20s before. But lack of affordability and a sense of place has declined our black population. And this will begin to repair families that have been injured by building wealth, building a sense of place, strengthening the voice and committing to continuing the road to repair here in Evanston.