The City of Evanston, Illinois, on Monday night approved a plan to distribute $10 million in reparations to Black residents for housing and mortgage assistance.
Why it matters: The city of 73,000 people, 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, is the first in the country to pass such a measure.
By the numbers: The measure passed 8-1, per WNUR News.
The big picture: The City will pay for the reparations via revenue raised from tax on cannabis, per council information.
- People who've lived in Evanston between 1919 and 1969, their descendants or those who can show that they faced discrimination over housing policy would eligible under the measure.
What they're saying: Alderman Robin Rue Simmons, who was behind the measure, told the New York Times the action was "a start."
- “It is the reckoning. We’re really proud as a city to be leading the nation toward repair and justice.”
