NewsNation

Which cities are considering reparations?

Steph Whiteside

A Black Lives Matter sign sits in a front yard of a house in Evanston, Illinois, on March 16, 2021. - A suburb in Chicago is set to become the first place in the United States to provide reparations to its Black residents, with a plan to distribute $10 million over the next decade. Evanston, home to Northwestern University and just north of Chicago along the shore of Lake Michigan, will have a city council vote March 22 on the issue, which is expected to pass. (Photo by KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI / AFP) (Photo by KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

(NewsNation) — A California commission approved recommendations on what can be done to pay reparations to Black residents. It’s one of a growing number of city and local governments exploring ways to make up for historic inequality.

Most efforts to approve reparations have happened at the city or county level, with a number of local governments exploring ways to address the legacy of slavery and discrimination.


Black communities across the U.S. have rallied for reparations, which are intended to help compensate Black Americans for the legacy of slavery and the decades of discrimination that followed which made it extremely difficult for them to achieve generational wealth.

The movement dates back to the Civil War, when President Abraham Lincoln signed a law that became known as “40 acres and a mule,” promising land and resources for freed slaves. After his assassination, however, President Andrew Johnson rescinded the law and vetoed attempts by Congress to compensate recently freed slaves.

Reparations may take the form of individual cash payments, free tuition or investments in affordable housing, Black-owned businesses and communities.

The U.S. has paid reparations before. In 1988, the U.S. approved reparations for Japanese Americans incarcerated in concentration camps during World War II, giving survivors a check as well as issuing a public apology.

Here are some places in the U.S. where reparations have been considered or approved.

California

California’s commission approved a list of recommendations that included a public apology and the formation of a new agency that would be tasked with determining appropriate compensation. The list will go to lawmakers in Sacramento before any of the recommendations can be acted on.

Evanston, Illinois

Evanston became the first city to pay out reparations, giving qualifying households $25,000 for home repairs or a down payment on a home. The program is being funded through a tax on marijuana sales.

San Francisco, California

A reparations commission in San Francisco recommended a long list of actions, including guaranteed salaries, individual payments and homes in the city for just $1 for those who qualify.

Sacramento, California

The mayor of California’s capital city has begun piloting a reparations program, though the proposal has yet to go before the city council.

Reparations Commissions

While only a few cities and states have made concrete steps towards paying reparations, a growing number of cities have authorized commissions to study reparations programs, including: