March 22, 2021
Evanston, Illinois is first US city pay reparations to black residents
An Illinois city will be the first in the
US to make reparations available to black residents for past discrimination and
the effects of slavery.
Evanston’s city council voted 8-1 to
distribute $400,000 to eligible black households on Monday, with each
qualifying unit receiving US$25,000 for home repairs or property down payments.
The
progamme will be funded through donations and revenue from a three per cent tax on the
sale of recreational marijuana. The city has pledged to distribute US$10
million over 10 years.
Qualifying
residents must either have lived in or been a direct descendant of a Black
person who lived in Evanston between 1919 to 1969 and who suffered
discrimination in housing because of city ordinances, policies or practices.
