U.S. city to pay reparations for racial discrimination

The Evanston, Ill., city council voted 8-1 on Monday to begin distributing $10 million to qualifying African American households. In 2019, the council approved a proposal to pay black residents reparations for past slavery and discrimination. The funds will come from the city’s recreational marijuana tax and private donations. Alderman Cicely Fleming cast the only no vote because the proposal limited how recipients can use the funds. Other cities and states have expressed interest in reparations, and President Joe Biden has said he supports forming a federal commission to study the idea.

What will the Evanston plan look like? In this first round of funding, eligible households can apply for $25,000 for home repair, property down payments, or various other housing costs. To qualify, a black person must have lived in Evanston between 1919-1969 and experienced housing discrimination from the city. Descendants of those residents and African Americans who experienced discrimination from the city after 1969 may also qualify.

Dig Deeper: Read Marvin Olasky’s report on WORLD’s 2020 Daniel of the Year, John Perkins, who made racial reconciliation his life’s work.