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The Chicago City Council on Wednesday passed a resolution creating a council subcommittee to deal with the issue of reparations.

City Council approves reparations resolution

By Reparations

Two white aldermen — Nick Sposato and Anthony Napolitano — voted “no,” ignoring an appeal from Ald. Jason Ervin, chairman of the council’s Black Caucus. Napolitano called slavery “the worst thing ever,” but said it “was done in the past. We can’t rewrite it.” By Fran Spielman, Chicago Sun Times — The long and winding road for Chicago to find a way to make amends for the impact of slavery…

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“Generations of pain”: The road to reparations in Evanston

“Generations of pain”: The road to reparations in Evanston

By Reparations

From indentured servitude to federal redlining, Evanston’s history is marked with colored lines. City officials and residents develop initiatives to address historical inequities with the recently established reparations fund. By Keerti Gopal, The Daily Northwestern — Maria Murray was 15 years old in 1855 when she was purchased out of slavery by a white family and brought to work as an indentured servant in their Evanston home. She was one…

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Robin Rue Simmons.

Reparations rally promotes more funding

By Editors' Choice, Reparations

By Bill Smith, Evanston Now — About 100 people gathered online Thursday evening to hear presentations supporting Evanston’s reparation program and calls for more funding for it. Alderman Robin Rue Simmons, 5th Ward, who heads the City Council’s reparations subcomittee, told the town hall meeting she’s seeking support from anyone interested in the program, including family foundations, major donors, institutions and individuals. Alderman Ann Rainey, 8th Ward, the third member…

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Ta-Nehisi Coates and Danny Glover

One city’s reparations program that could offer a blueprint for the nation

By News & Current Affairs, Reparations

Evanston, Illinois, is levying a tax on newly legalised marijuana to fund projects benefiting African Americans in recognition of the enduring effects of slavery and the war on drugs By Eric Lutz, The Guardian — For years, Robin Rue Simmons watched Evanston, Illinois, “working hard” to resolve its racial disparities – but with little to show for its efforts. “Our gaps were widening,” the city alderman told the Guardian, citing the Chicago suburb’s…

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Robin Rue Simmons

Evanston outlines plan for reparations

By Reparations

By Emma Edmund, The Daily Northwestern — Evanston has released an outline for creating and implementing a reparations plan, including a plan to possibly redistribute the funds in early 2021. City Council’s reparations subcommittee will expand this year to include additional experts and members of the community, according to a recent news release. Currently, Ald. Robin Rue Simmons (5th) and Ald. Ann Rainey (8th) are in the subcommittee. The subcommittee…

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A chart accompanying Dec. 19 Evanston city press release on reparations.

City plans to restructure reparations panel

By Reparations

By Bill Smith, Evanston Now — After three months in which the Evanston City Council’s three-member reparations subcommittee held not a single public meeting, on Dec. 19, 2019 the city issued a press release announcing a schedule for a reformulated subcommittee to develop a reparations plan for submission to the City Council next year. At various times this fall members of the subcommittee that was appointed on Sept. 9 — Aldermen Robin Rue…

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