The 21st Show

New film documents reparations efforts in Evanston

Produced by Christine Hatfield
 
Robin Rue Simmons, alderwoman of Evanston's 5th Ward poses for a portrait holding a photograph of her mother, aunt and grandmother in her home in Evanston, Ill., Friday, April 9, 2021. The Chicago suburb is preparing to pay reparations in the form of housing grants to Black residents who experienced housing discrimination. Simmons, a fourth generation Black resident, spearheaded the effort after studying racial disparity data, which shows the average income of Black families in Evanston is $46,000 less than that of white families.

Robin Rue Simmons, alderwoman of Evanston's 5th Ward poses for a portrait holding a photograph of her mother, aunt and grandmother in her home in Evanston, Ill., Friday, April 9, 2021. The Chicago suburb is preparing to pay reparations in the form of housing grants to Black residents who experienced housing discrimination. Simmons, a fourth generation Black resident, spearheaded the effort after studying racial disparity data, which shows the average income of Black families in Evanston is $46,000 less than that of white families. AP Photo/Shafkat Anowar

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Enslaved Africans and their descendants helped build the United States with bloody and deadly forced labor from 1619 until 1865. Despite the value of that labor running into the trillions of dollars, Black Americans remain far behind their white neighbors in median income and other economic measures. Black and white Americans are also far apart on the question of whether the descendants of enslaved people ought to be compensated for their ancestors’ work building up our country.

Tonight, the Independent Lens documentary series on PBS premieres “The Big Payback: Fear and Reparations in the American Suburb.” The film includes the city of Evanston, Illinois, which in 2021 began directing money from the city’s tax on recreational cannabis to offer to Black residents to help pay for property or home repairs.

The 21st was joined by the film’s co-directors who also co-hosted a podcast of the same name to discuss their work.

Check out our 2021 conversation with the one of the leaders behind the reparation efforts in Evanston here.

GUESTS:

Erika Alexander

Co-director, “The Big Payback: Fear and Reparations in the American Suburb”

Whitney Dow

Co-director, “The Big Payback: Fear and Reparations in the American Suburb”

 

Prepared for web by Owen Henderson

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