Evanston, a suburb of Chicago, is set to become the first city in the United States to provide reparations to its Black residents for housing, funded by a tax on marijuana sales. The city council will vote on 22 March on an initial disbursement of about $400,000 for housing needs, part of a $10m plan to be distributed over the next decade.
Under the proposal, eligible residents would receive $25,000 for home improvements or mortgage assistance. To qualify, individuals must be or descend from a Black person who lived in Evanston before 1969 and suffered from discriminatory housing practices by the government or banks. The funding comes from community donations and a marijuana tax, following a landmark 2019 decision by Evanston to financially compensate Black residents for historical racism.
Robin Rue Simmons, a Black alderman representing Evanston's historically Black fifth ward, described reparations as "the most appropriate legislative response to the historic practices and the contemporary conditions of the Black community." She noted that while many anti-Black policies have been outlawed, others remain embedded in zoning and government practices. Simmons added that the nation now has the will and awareness to advance reparations.
However, a group called Evanston Rejects Racist Reparations has criticised the plan, arguing it does not go far enough to be considered true reparations. The group claims that historically racist financial institutions will profit from the move and wants the city council to provide direct payments to Black residents instead. Simmons dismissed these criticisms, stating the council has no authority over the banking industry. The National African American Reparations Commission has cited the Evanston program as a model for the rest of the US.
The US has a mixed record on reparations, with most plans falling short or being implemented on a minor scale. In recent years, the conversation has widened: last year, Asheville, North Carolina, postponed a resolution for a $1m reparations fund, and the mayor of Providence, Rhode Island, signed a commitment to reparations for Black and Indigenous residents.
