Reparations: A Successful Test Run in Chicago Suburb Sparks National Consideration

A city in Illinois, Evanston, is set to pay $25,000 each to 140 elderly black residents as part of its local reparations program, which aims to address the legacy of slavery and discrimination. The program, funded by marijuana and real-estate transfer taxes, will benefit residents who lived in the city between 1919 and 1969 or experienced housing discrimination due to the city's policies. Evanston's initiative is seen as a test run for reparations in the whole country, as federal efforts have stalled for decades. Other cities, counties, school districts, and universities have also taken up the cause of reparations.