Evanston Illinois Reparations Program Becomes First Local Government Reparations Implementation

On March 22, 2021, Evanston, IL became the first U.S. city to implement a local reparations program, approving $400,000 in home repair grants and down payment assistance for Black residents who lived in Evanston between 1919 and 1969, or their direct descendants, and were harmed by the city's discriminatory housing policies. The program, funded partly by a local marijuana tax, aimed to address documented redlining and urban renewal policies that displaced Black residents. By 2023, California established the first state reparations task force; it recommended payments of over $1.2 million per eligible Black Californian, though the legislature had not passed payments.