Evanston Reparations Initiative Update

[Photo: Evanston Roundtable]

-- Reparations subcommittee met for the first time on Friday

-- Next meetings are set for January 24 and February 7

-- City Council will discuss expanding the subcommittee at tomorrow night's Council Meeting

Click here for a recap of Friday's meeting from the Evanston RoundTable.

" Robin Rue Simmons 5th Ward Alderman opened the discussion saying that when people think of reparations they often think of reparations for slavery, and think of HR 40, a U.S. House of Representative resolution to form a commission to study reparations for black people in the United States.

'In our case, we have a local reparations here in Evanston,' Ald. Robin Rue Simmons said. In Evanston, she said, her goal and that of many of her colleagues is to focus on 'the impact of redlining and how that impacted our community.'

She said she had heard from some people that Caribbeans should not get reparations. 'That’s not where we’re at here, in my opinion. In my opinion, we have to agree on this as a Council. This is a local reparations that is based on damages that were specifically done in Evanston. This is not to compete with or replace HR 40. This is specific to Evanston, and we have a rich and extensive Caribbean community here in Evanston, and I have no intention of trying to exclude that community.'"

To contribute to the Evanston Reparations Initiative, send your (tax-exempt) check to:

Lorraine Morton Civic Center 2100 Ridge Evanston, IL 60201 Attn: Reparations Fund

Make your check payable to 'Reparations/Solutions Only'