Let’s Unpack This
An Illinois Town Okays Reparations to Black Residents. Will Your City Follow Suit?
A weed tax provides up to $10 million in payments
The case for reparations for Black descendants of slavery in America is, for some, a controversial subject. Those who oppose the idea repeatedly question where the money will come from. Now, a Chicago suburb has provided a blueprint, but the question is: can and will other cities do the same?
Evanston, Illinois will likely make history as the first city to pay reparations to its Black residents. Robin Rue Simmons, a 5th Ward Alderman there, is spearheading the charge. Simmons, who is Black, describes her measure as one that will help “burdened” families“get some relief.” Starting this year, payments up to $25,000 will be distributed to eligible residents to increase affordability and a “lack of access to living wage careers here in the city,” she said.
Simmons plans to finance the payouts via the city’s 3% tax on recreational marijuana sales. Through this budget instrument, the city is committing $10 million total over the next 10 years as an attempt to pay Black residents. Simmons told Momentum that the payback to the Black community is therefore “the most appropriate use for that sales tax.”
