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Mar 23, 2021 · March 23, 20212:36 PM ET. By. Rachel Treisman. Enlarge this image. Evanston, Ill., just north of Chicago, is believed to be the first place in the United States to provide reparations to...
- Rachel Treisman
Mar 23, 2021 · EVANSTON, Ill. — Evanston, Illinois, on Monday became the first U.S. city to make reparations available to its Black residents for past discrimination and the lingering effects of...
Mar 26, 2021 · The historic plan by Evanston, Illinois, to make reparations to its Black residents — including housing grants for a fraction of the city’s families — has prompted questions about whether...
- Char Adams
- Reporter
- Overview
- "Paternalistic" approach?
The Chicago suburb of Evanston, Illinois, is about to become the first U.S. city to make reparation money available to Black residents. Part of a growing movement that has picked up speed in the wake of police killings of Black Americans including George Floyd last year, the decision by Evanston officials could also lay the groundwork for other municipalities and states considering reparations.
"It doesn't mean every city will do it exactly like Evanston has done, but there's a blueprint there," Ron Daniels, who oversees the National African American Reparations Commission, or NAARC, told CBS MoneyWatch.
The Evanston City Council voted 8-1 Monday night to start with an expenditure of $400,000 to give 16 eligible Black households $25,000 each to be spent on home repairs or down payments on property. Funded by a new tax on legalized marijuana, the council previously committed $10 million over 10 years to repairing the ongoing harm that systemic racism has caused Evanston's Black residents, with the housing initiative its first step. About 16% of Evanston residents are Black.
National advocacy groups that advised Evanston on its action expressed optimism that other cities and states would follow suit, leading to further pressure for national legislation.
"We're very excited to see the first national direct benefit from some of the harms we've had to experience from the past," Kamm Howard, co-chair of the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America, or N'COBRA, told CBS MoneyWatch "The more local initiatives occur, the more impetus there is on the federal government to act."
NAARC's Daniels agreed. "This is no longer a fringe issue. It gets at the critical issue of addressing and redressing the systematic racism that is one of the original sins of this nation," Daniels said.
Evanston's plan came up short in the eyes of some local residents and one council member. Alderwoman Cicely Fleming voted against the resolution, arguing that it is a housing program masquerading as reparations. She cast the only negative vote.
"True reparations should respect Black people's autonomy and allow them to determine how repair will be managed, including cash payments as an option. They are being denied that in this proposal, which gives money directly to the banks or contractors on their behalf," the alderwoman stated in a news release. "If we're doing reparations, let's do reparations right."
In a phone interview with CBS MoneyWatch, Fleming also said many in Evanston's Black community objected to this "paternalistic model of 'we know what's best for you.'" She said she hoped city officials would give Black residents more say on how reparations are handled moving forward, while also giving fund recipients more autonomy on how they use the money.
"If it's reparations, it really has to have a cash component," Fleming told CBSN after the vote. "We have to respect Black people's ability to manage their own funds."
Sebastian Nalls, who organized a group called "Evanston Rejects Racist Reparations," expressed similar sentiments to CBS Chicago, saying, "What this plan is, is not reparations."
The group supports reparations, but says there are too many limits on outlays. "Residents are unable to use their funds for anything other than housing," Nalls said.
- Reporter
- 9 min
Mar 23, 2021 · Under the first phase of the Restorative Housing Reparations program, the first installment of $400,000 will be dispersed in $25,000 allotments for residents to use toward home improvements...
May 7, 2023 · Evanston’s groundbreaking reparations plan was stumbling. A brother and sister pushed it forward. of. By Alex Hulvalchick | ahulvalchick@chicagotribune.com | Chicago Tribune and Jonathan...
Mar 23, 2021 · EVANSTON, Ill. – Evanston, Illinois, has become the first U.S. city to make reparations available to its Black residents for past discrimination and the lingering effects of slavery. The...
