June 18th 2024.
On June 17, Mayor Brandon Johnson took a significant step towards addressing the longstanding inequities faced by Black residents in Chicago. He signed Executive Order 2024-1, which not only recognizes the city's discriminatory treatment of its Black citizens but also establishes a task force to develop a "Black Reparations Agenda" for Chicago.
According to WGN 9, this executive order follows the allocation of $500,000 in the city's budget for studying reparations, a decision influenced by the policies implemented by the city over the years. As the fourth Black mayor of Chicago, Johnson stated that he and his administration are committed to making targeted investments in the Black community to rectify decades of deliberate disinvestment.
"This isn't just a public declaration, it's a pledge to shape the future of our city by addressing the legacy of inequality that has plagued Chicago for far too long," Johnson said. "We are building upon the foundations laid by my administration to move forward in reconciliation, through focused investments aimed at remedying the injustices faced by Black neighborhoods and communities."
Alderwoman Stephanie Coleman, who represents the 16th Ward, also expressed her appreciation for the Johnson administration's commitment to Chicago's Black citizens. In a statement to WGN, she said, "Today marks a significant step forward, and I am grateful to the Johnson Administration for their ongoing support and dedication to addressing the deep wounds caused by centuries of injustice against the Black community. We will not be ashamed of our past struggles and triumphs."
In recent years, several cities, including Evansville, Illinois, have taken steps towards studying and implementing reparations for their Black residents. While many leading voices on reparations, such as economist William "Sandy" Darity, believe that the federal government ultimately holds the responsibility for addressing this issue, there has been no action from the federal level. As a result, cities like Boston, San Francisco, and Atlanta have taken it upon themselves to make amends.
The current political debate surrounding reparations is largely fueled by H.R. 40, but it was Ta-Nehisi Coates' 2014 piece for The Atlantic, "The Case for Reparations," that brought this issue to the forefront of public consciousness. In his article, Coates follows the story of Clyde Ross, a resident of Chicago's North Lawndale neighborhood for over 50 years. Ross shares his experience of trading the overt racism of Mississippi for a subtler form in Chicago, where he faced discrimination and was denied opportunities to build wealth for himself and his family.
"I left one mess in Mississippi and ended up in another one here...I found myself caught up in this trap, thinking, 'How? I left that mess behind, but here I am, getting cheated left and right.' If I had been a violent person, I might have wanted to take revenge on those who wronged me. But instead, I thought, 'I got caught up in this system. I can't even provide for my children. I don't have enough for them. It's so easy to fall through the cracks when you're fighting against white people and there's no one to protect you,'" Ross shared with Coates.
As Executive Order 2024-1 highlights, Ross' story is just one of many in Chicago who have faced similar struggles. The order states, "The institution and legacy of slavery and Jim Crow laws have created a pervasive culture that dehumanizes Black Americans and has denied them liberty, citizenship, rights, and the ability to benefit from the wealth generated by their labor. The city has a responsibility to address these historic and present-day racial inequities by reflecting on its laws, policies, and procedures that have systematically contributed to and exacerbated racial inequalities, and by identifying appropriate remedies."
In conclusion, Mayor Johnson's Executive Order 2024-1 is a crucial step towards acknowledging and addressing the injustices faced by Chicago's Black community. It is a call to action for the city to take responsibility for its past actions and work towards creating a more equitable future for all its citizens.
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