Reparations Committee Meeting 11-5-2026

The City of Evanston Reparations Committee met on November 5, 2026. The committee approved and placed on file a report anticipating 2027 reparations distributions to recipients numbered 172 through 215, with individual benefits of $25,000. Members said 171 recipients had received approximately $7.3 million to date, and that the program’s existing allocations—funded through cannabis sales and real estate transfer tax revenue—remain in place despite ongoing litigation. The committee also discussed more than $1 million in community-raised reparations funding and additional benefits distributed through local churches. No procurement, contract award, or purchasing action was identified.

Members discussed the status of federal litigation involving the City, the Department of Justice, and Judicial Watch, and said the lawsuit had not stopped or reduced program distributions. The committee approved moving its regular meetings to the first Fridays beginning in 2027. It also discussed the Illinois Family Roots DNA pilot, whose 200 free test kits had been exhausted, and community concerns about discrimination, displacement, and property taxes; members discussed seeking a process for collecting grievances and potentially referring that work to the Equity and Empowerment Commission.