The Trump administration is moving to challenge a reparations program for Black residents in the Chicago suburb of Evanston, Illinois. The program, which was approved in 2019, provides grants of up to $25,000 to eligible Black residents whose families suffered lasting damage from decades of discriminatory practices.

Program Details

Black residents of Evanston are eligible for the housing program if they, or their ancestors, lived in the city between 1919 and 1969 or if they can show they suffered housing discrimination due to the city’s policies. The U.S. Justice Department claimed in a statement that the program is discriminatory by distributing “cash payments and financial assistance for housing solely to Black persons, and their descendants, and not to similarly situated persons of other races.”

Local officials and civil rights advocates say such reparations aim to address the legacy of racism and policies that targeted Black Americans, resulting in generational inequity. Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss defended the program, stating that the city “maintains its position on the legality of the Evanston Reparation Program” and is confident in its constitutionality.

Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.