An Illinois city has become the first in America to embark upon a reparations program for its Black residents after its local council approved the implementation of its first such initiative to tackle the legacy of slavery. Late on Monday night aldermen in Evanston – a suburban community in Chicago – voted to approve the Local Reparations Restorative Housing Program, a $400,000 housing grant program. Designed to address the inequality gap and ongoing impact of slavery on African Americans in the city, Evanston’s reparations program will be funded with sales taxes on recreational marijuana. “It means that there is an opportunity coming for us to bridge the gap of discrimination that has and continues to keep black residents oppressed,” she continued. In response to the new housing grant program, Simmons told the Chicago Tribune the initiative is a step in the right direction.

Source: The Guardian March 23, 2021 15:00 UTC