Evanston, Illinois, is distributing $25,000 payments to 44 Black residents as part of a landmark reparations program, the city’s Reparations Committee announced Thursday. The program, established in 2019 and approved by the City Council in 2021, aims to address historical harms experienced by Black residents and their descendants who lived in Evanston between 1919 and 1969.
Evanston became the first city in the United States to enact a reparations plan, initially pledging $10 million over a decade to benefit Black residents. The current payments are designated to assist with housing expenses, according to Evanston official Cynthia Vargas.
Tasheik Kerr, assistant to the city manager, stated during a recent meeting that residents eligible for the payments will be contacted in the coming weeks to coordinate distribution. The reparations fund currently holds $276,588, generated from Evanston’s real estate transfer tax. The committee is exploring additional funding sources, including a tax on Delta-8 THC products, though Ald. Krissie Harris acknowledged that such a tax would likely yield limited revenue but “support retain moving that number forward.”
“It’s really important for people to understand we pay as we have the money, and it’s not that we’re withholding from paying everyone,” Harris said, as reported by The Daily Northwestern. “It’s just we have to accumulate the funds to make sure we can pay.”
The reparations fund is primarily supported by revenue from cannabis sales and real estate taxes, with no philanthropic donations received as of January 31st. To date, Evanston has awarded over $6.35 million to 254 individuals based on race.
The program has faced legal challenges. Judicial Watch filed a lawsuit last year alleging that the program’s race-based eligibility requirements violate the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment. Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton stated that the program is “clearly discriminatory and unconstitutional” and urged the city to halt further expenditures.
Similar initiatives are gaining momentum across the country, with state legislatures and grassroots organizations introducing measures to explore and implement reparations. Municipalities and states are forming committees to assess the lasting effects of slavery and determine appropriate forms of compensation.
The Evanston Reparations Committee did not respond to a request for comment.
