Participate in Planning for how Reparations will Unfold in Evanston!

All of Evanston is invited to attend a town hall meeting at 7 p.m. next Wednesday, December 11 at First Church of God Christian Life Center, 1524 Simpson, Evanston.

Free tickets available here.

Actor and activist Danny Glover and a team of the National African American Reparations Commission - NAARC commissioners will visit Evanston next week to review and provide support for the $10-million Reparations initiative that was passed by City Council last Monday night.

The historic local reparations initiative is designed to address racially exclusionary policies that contributed to the lack of opportunity and underdevelopment of Black families and neighborhoods that have perpetuated and exacerbated the racial wealth gap in Evanston.

Sponsored by Robin Rue Simmons 5th Ward Alderman, the Initiative will allocate $1 million per year over the next 10 years for reparatory justice projects. State tax revenue from the sale of recreational marijuana will be set aside to fund the reparations.

Alderman Simmons invited the NAARC Commissioners to Evanston. NAARC first heard about the Evanston Reparations Initiative from Alderman Simmons when she attended the Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C. in September.

“When we heard about this proposed Reparations Initiative, we immediately saw it as a potential model for city/county reparatory justice initiatives around the nation,” says Dr. Ron Daniels, president of the IBW/The Institute of the Black World 21st Century and convener of NAARC.

“We are eager to assist Alderman Simmons, the Reparations sub-committee, and community stakeholders to craft and implement policies and procedures that will be effective in repairing the harm and damages inflicted on Black families and neighborhoods by racially exclusionary policies, whether intentional or unintentional.”

The visit will include a series of meetings that Ald. Simmons and members of the Reparation Sub-Committee will facilitate.

It will end with a town hall meeting hosted by First Church of God and its Pastor Monte' L. G. Dillard, Sr., who is a member of Evanston's Equity and Empowerment Commission, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, December 11.

Actor and activist Danny Glover will be the keynote Presenter. Glover is U.N Ambassador for International Decade for People of African Descent.

NAARC commissioners Dr. Iva Carruthers, general secretary of the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference; Kamm Howard, national co-chair of the National Coalition of Black for Reparations in America ( NCOBRA); Atty. Nkechi Taifa, civil rights/human rights advocate; and Evanston's own Judge Lionel Jean Baptiste will serve as panelists, along with Ald. Simmons and Pastor Dillard.

NAARC comprises notable scholars, advocates, and faith leaders from around the country. The Commission has adopted a 10-point reparations program that's designed to be a frame of reference for the growing national dialogue on reparations as a remedy to overcome longstanding social and economic inequalities in African American communities.

NAARC is also at the forefront of working for the adoption of HR-40, the Congressional bill first introduced by the late Congressman John Conyers, Jr. that will establish a Commission to study reparations proposals for African Americans.

Since Conyers recent death, Congresswoman Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee of Houston, Texas has assumed the role of lead sponsor for HR-40. The bill has recently been endorsed by several Democratic candidates for president, as well as the ACLU.

NAARC and ACLU have collaborated on educational forums on reparations and HR-40 in Washington, D.C. and Charleston, S.C. and plan to continue convening forums in other cities in 2020.

A full list of NAARC Commissioners and the 10-Point Reparations Program can be found here.

Yow!

Well, everyone who knows me knows how excited I am that Evanston is at the forefront of the Reparations movement (thanks to Robin Rue Simmons 5th Ward Alderman Robin Rue Simmons), and I encourage everyone to come to the town hall meeting at 7 p.m. on December 11 at First Church of God Christian Life Center to learn more about how the process could and should unfold in our city ...

But I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I'm also hugely giddy over the fact that Danny Glover, amazing actor and activist for reparations and other causes, just shared my Dear Evanston post about the meeting! Glover will be the keynote speaker at the town hall.

Here's everything you need to know about the meeting.

Thanks, Mr. Glover, for making my week (and it's only Monday)!

PS: If you want to keep up with information and discussion about reparations, please join the Evanston Evanston Reparations/Solutions Only Facebook group!