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[poignant music]

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♪ ♪

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[soft dramatic music]

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♪ ♪

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[indistinct chatter]

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- We need to get
in a single file line,

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or no one's getting in.

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- The House Committee
on the Judiciary

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is holding a hearing today
on a bill which proposes

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to establish a commission

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to study and develop
reparations proposals

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for African Americans.

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- Black power.
all: Black power!

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- H.R. 40,
the bill introduced by

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the late
Congressman John Conyers,

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has languished in committee
for more than 30 years.

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Since his passing,
Texas congresswoman

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Sheila Jackson Lee
has taken up the fight

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to try to move it
through the House

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and eventually to the Senate,

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where she'll need a miracle
to get it passed.

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- H.R. 40 is, in fact,
the response

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of the United States of America
long overdue.

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My people in America
are the descendants

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of Africans kidnapped
and transported

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to the United States.

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It is only this group
that can singularly,

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singularly claim

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to have been slaves
under the auspices,

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the institution and leadership

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of the United States
government.

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Slavery is the original sin.

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Slavery has never received
an apology.

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- By the time the enslaved
were emancipated,

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they comprised the largest
single asset in America.

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3 billion in 1860 dollars,

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more than all the other assets
in the country combined.

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- I picked the cotton.

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I built the railroad
under someone else's whip

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for nothing.

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For nothing.

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- Reconstruction failed
after 12 years.

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And after reconstruction,
a reign of terror

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that had never been seen.

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The hanging fruit,
the lynching.

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- State-sponsored terrorism.

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- We kick the living hell
out of the niggers.

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back to their own hometowns
where they ought to have been.

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- Yesterday when asked
about reparations,

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Senate Majority Leader
Mitch McConnell

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offered a familiar reply.

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- Yeah,
I don't think reparations

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for something that happened
150 years ago

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for whom none of us currently
living are responsible

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is a good idea.

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- This rebuttal proffers
a strange theory of governance,

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that American accounts
are somehow bound

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by the lifetime
of its generations.

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[dramatic music]

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- What the bill says
is that this is a proposal

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for reparations for
the institution of slavery.

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- Yes.

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- The institution of slavery
has never gone away.

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♪ ♪

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- Convict leasing.

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- The oppression of voting.

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- Poll taxes
and racist G.I. bills.

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- Many of the bedrock policies,
in fact, that ushered

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generations of Americans
into the middle class

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were designed to exclude
African Americans.

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- We fought in every one
of your damn lousy wars, baby.

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And you give us nothing.

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- Thousands and thousands
of Black veterans

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were denied
their G.I. Bill benefits.

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- Federal Housing programs
also discriminated

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against African Americans
by redlining.

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- There's no question
that redlining is happening.

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It's happening in almost
every major city in America.

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- The typical Black family
in this country

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has 1/10 the wealth
of the typical white family.

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- 31% of Black children live
in poverty,

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compared to 11%
of white children.

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And we know
the criminal justice system.

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- Somebody kicked in the door
and shot my girlfriend.

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- Oh, my God.

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[protestors shouting]

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all: No peace!

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- The question facing

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every person
who lives in this nation

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is not so much
who killed those young men,

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but what killed them.

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- I'm gonna tell them
there's an African American man

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threatening my life.

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- The matter of reparations

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is one of making amends,

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indirect redress,

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but it is also a question
of citizenship.

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- If you won't listen to me

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when I make an appeal
for the Negroes,

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because you have no concern
for the Negro...

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- Let's go.

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Move it on back.

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♪ ♪

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- Listen to me when I make
an appeal for America!

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♪ ♪

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- Let us work together,

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and let's get this done.

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It is long overdue.

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It is deserving,

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and it is
the right thing to do.

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Mr. Chairman, I yield back.

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♪ ♪

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- We have yet to hear
when the bill

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will have a full House vote.

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Keep in mind
that's still another hurdle

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that this legislation
has to move past.

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[upbeat music]

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- ♪ Ha ♪

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♪ ♪

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♪ Ooh ♪

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♪ ♪

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♪ Hey ♪

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♪ ♪

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♪ Ha ♪

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♪ ♪

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♪ Huh ♪

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♪ ♪

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- Good afternoon.

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This is the professor,
Dr. Ron Daniels,

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president of the Institute of
the Black World 21st Century

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and distinguished lecturer.

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Good afternoon.
You're on Vantage Point.

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- Hey, how you doing, brother?
- Good.

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- I just wanted to get
your opinion on H.R. 40.

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There hasn't been much talk
or thought

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about, you know, reparations.

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So I was just wondering
if you could speak on that.

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- Oh, I certainly can.

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I mean, H.R. 40 is--

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we're pushing very hard.

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There's been a lot of debate
and discussion

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about the--the bill.

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And it's unfortunately--
unfortunately,

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it's playing out between
the political parties,

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to some degree.

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I must say that we have

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great disappointment
at this level.

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But Sheila Jackson Lee

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has been absolutely visionary,

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courageous, and tenacious

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in helping to spearhead this.

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- African Americans are still
feeling the brunt of slavery.

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But we're trying
to get our friends

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who are making statements,
"You were not a slave,"

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to understand
that you are a descendant,

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a descendant, a descendant,

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but you are faced
by that status of slavery

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and racism that puts you
in this position today.

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[indistinct radio chatter]

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- We did not initially start
talking about

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building local
reparations initiatives

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until I get this call
from a dear friend,

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longtime activist.

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- How are you?
- I'm fantastic.

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How are you?
- I'm doing great.

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I'm doing great. Yeah.
- Yeah. I'm doing just fine.

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- Good.
- You know I'm, like,

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in warrior mode, right?
- That's fine. That's fine.

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- He said, "Man, you know,
we got a bad system

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"in Evanston,
and she's pushing

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the reparations question
strong."

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- We're gonna market it
and tell everybody about it.

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You're doing wonderful.
We love it.

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- Thank you.
- Oh, yeah.

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- Congratulations.
- Thank you.

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[indistinct chatter]

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- Good evening, everyone.

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all: Good evening.

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- We're going to prepare
our hearts and minds

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to begin this
most historic town meeting

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to celebrate
the Evanston reparations.

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Would you clap your hands
for...

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[cheers and applause]

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- There's something in the air.

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The whole nation
is watching this city

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and, indeed,
perhaps over the world.

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And so it was Alderman Simmons
who brings us here,

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in many respects.

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You have become
the visible face

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and the driving force

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of the Evanston
reparation initiative.

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Why did you do this?

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- Evanston...

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We are leaders.

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And as I work through
my responsibilities

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as Fifth Ward Alderman,
I saw how hard we were working.

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My colleagues on city council,
community organizations,

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residents, parents,
were working really hard

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to bring equity and inclusion,

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and we were not moving
the needle.

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We still maintain
a wealth disparity of $46,000

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between Blacks and whites
in Evanston.

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We continued
a life expectancy gap

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of 13 years.

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Our Black homeownership rate
is at its lowest point

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since the 1960s,

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and we needed to move
our efforts

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beyond apology and ceremony,

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and we needed to bring action.

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It was time to do
something as radical

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as the oppression
and discrimination,

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as the impact
from the Jim Crow law

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and the redlining.

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Something as radical
as reparations.

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[cheers and applause]

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There was nothing more to do.

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[cheers and applause]

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00:09:08,433 --> 00:09:11,466
[upbeat music]

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- All right, folks,

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00:09:12,566 --> 00:09:14,200
we'll be talking
about H.R. 40,

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the commission
to study reparations.

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H.R. 40 has been stalled
in Congress

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for more than 30 years,

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but there's new light
in the debate

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coming out of Evanston,
Illinois.

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Robin Rue Simmons
was an alderwoman there.

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She got passed

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the first reparations bill
in American history.

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- The city of Evanston
now has pledged

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to pay out $10 million
over the next 10 years.

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- This is the first attempt
at a publicly funded

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reparations program
in U.S. history.

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- So now it's up to Evanston
to decide

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how and to whom the money
will be distributed.

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♪ ♪

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- It's been nonstop.

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More calls and emails
in the last few days

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than I probably had in
the last couple years, really.

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[laughs]

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- You'll be hearing
from me shortly

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on the few emails and texts,

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and then I'll see you at 5:30.

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- Okay, thank you.

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- Awesome.
No problem.

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- Learning
that local government

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is most responsive

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and we're more nimble

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and we can make impact

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quicker than
the federal government,

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and thinking
this is a local matter.

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And I pushed it relentlessly.

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I was very, very stern

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in wanting it to happen
in this calendar year,

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being the 400th year
of Black resilience.

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That was important to me.

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So I was not willing
to compromise

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on any other format
to get to this victory.

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Time is of the essence.

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So with that said,

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let's just do the work
at this point.

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Solutions only. Hashtags.

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How are we gonna--

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I hear we have 16 seats
instead of 24.

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[laughs]

265
00:10:57,933 --> 00:10:59,300
Hi. How are you?

266
00:10:59,300 --> 00:11:01,533
[indistinct chatter]

267
00:11:01,533 --> 00:11:02,700
- Sheila, go ahead, sit here.

268
00:11:02,700 --> 00:11:04,300
- Thank you for accepting
the invitation.

269
00:11:04,300 --> 00:11:05,600
- Sheila, sit here.

270
00:11:05,600 --> 00:11:07,766
- All right,
does everybody have a seat?

271
00:11:07,766 --> 00:11:09,566
I will not hold anybody liable

272
00:11:09,566 --> 00:11:11,233
for any injuries
that might occur in this.

273
00:11:11,233 --> 00:11:12,700
- All right. So noted.

274
00:11:12,700 --> 00:11:15,700
[laughter]
Right.

275
00:11:15,700 --> 00:11:17,166
- Welcome, everyone.

276
00:11:17,166 --> 00:11:19,300
Can I have your attention?

277
00:11:19,300 --> 00:11:21,600
I'm trying to paint a picture
of how Evanston

278
00:11:21,600 --> 00:11:25,600
has changed over the course
of 100, 150 years.

279
00:11:25,600 --> 00:11:29,366
Evanston was established
in 1855.

280
00:11:29,366 --> 00:11:32,533
Right here
was the Evanston Sanitarium.

281
00:11:32,533 --> 00:11:35,666
Evanston segregated hospital.

282
00:11:35,666 --> 00:11:37,633
Up and down here,
a lot of mom-and-pop shops,

283
00:11:37,633 --> 00:11:41,600
eateries, barbers,
beauticians.

284
00:11:41,600 --> 00:11:44,433
This location here
was the original location

285
00:11:44,433 --> 00:11:47,600
of Ebenezer AME Church,
Evanston's oldest Black church,

286
00:11:47,600 --> 00:11:49,766
established in 1882.

287
00:11:49,766 --> 00:11:52,233
And the Emerson Street branch
YMCA that was located

288
00:11:52,233 --> 00:11:53,733
at this section right here,

289
00:11:53,733 --> 00:11:58,166
it was opened in 1914
to service the Black community

290
00:11:58,166 --> 00:12:00,133
in Evanston, Illinois.

291
00:12:01,400 --> 00:12:03,733
- Everything that happened
in Evanston

292
00:12:03,733 --> 00:12:05,066
was happening
in this building.

293
00:12:05,066 --> 00:12:07,233
Churches started there.
Clubs started there.

294
00:12:07,233 --> 00:12:11,000
Decades of history and memory
in one building.

295
00:12:11,000 --> 00:12:13,666
And that kind of epitomized
the strength of a community

296
00:12:13,666 --> 00:12:15,500
at that time.

297
00:12:15,500 --> 00:12:17,866
Shorefront is an organization
that documents

298
00:12:17,866 --> 00:12:19,866
the African American
experience

299
00:12:19,866 --> 00:12:22,000
in Chicago's
suburban North Shore.

300
00:12:22,000 --> 00:12:24,033
And usually the storyline is,

301
00:12:24,033 --> 00:12:27,700
we're domestics and servants,
and we have no history.

302
00:12:27,700 --> 00:12:29,733
And I'm kind of,
like, saying this--

303
00:12:29,733 --> 00:12:32,100
this is BS.

304
00:12:32,100 --> 00:12:34,300
This is American history,

305
00:12:34,300 --> 00:12:38,400
and you cannot edit out
a dialogue

306
00:12:38,400 --> 00:12:40,833
to create a new narrative.

307
00:12:40,833 --> 00:12:42,166
You're not telling
a complete story,

308
00:12:42,166 --> 00:12:43,633
and you're telling
an inaccurate story.

309
00:12:46,800 --> 00:12:49,833
[indistinct chatter]

310
00:12:49,833 --> 00:12:52,466
- Evanston had a significant
part to do with it.

311
00:12:52,466 --> 00:12:55,066
- Yeah.
Yeah, we did.

312
00:12:55,066 --> 00:12:56,833
- Good afternoon, everyone.

313
00:12:56,833 --> 00:12:58,833
Thank you all for being here.

314
00:12:58,833 --> 00:13:02,433
We are here today because
we have a lot of work to do.

315
00:13:02,433 --> 00:13:04,733
We've done something
really historic,

316
00:13:04,733 --> 00:13:08,100
and we have an opportunity
to actually make

317
00:13:08,100 --> 00:13:10,100
tremendous impact
in our community,

318
00:13:10,100 --> 00:13:13,566
and be looked to
as a model of what's possible

319
00:13:13,566 --> 00:13:15,500
in localities
across the nation.

320
00:13:15,500 --> 00:13:17,000
Via Evanston's budget,

321
00:13:17,000 --> 00:13:19,500
there is a reparation fund
line item.

322
00:13:19,500 --> 00:13:21,333
That's really exciting.

323
00:13:21,333 --> 00:13:22,366
[applause]

324
00:13:22,366 --> 00:13:24,733
Yeah.

325
00:13:24,733 --> 00:13:27,366
- The question is,
what makes reparations

326
00:13:27,366 --> 00:13:29,100
reparations?

327
00:13:29,100 --> 00:13:31,466
Certainly,
the whole issue of enslavement

328
00:13:31,466 --> 00:13:34,000
is what people tend
to think about,

329
00:13:34,000 --> 00:13:36,866
but it is also
for Jim Crow policies

330
00:13:36,866 --> 00:13:39,766
and racially exclusionary
policies,

331
00:13:39,766 --> 00:13:41,900
policies that provided benefits
for white people

332
00:13:41,900 --> 00:13:43,233
that we didn't get.

333
00:13:43,233 --> 00:13:45,666
That in fact, helped
to develop white communities

334
00:13:45,666 --> 00:13:48,400
to the underdevelopment
of Black communities.

335
00:13:48,400 --> 00:13:51,200
- I want us to forever remember

336
00:13:51,200 --> 00:13:53,800
that there is
no amount of money

337
00:13:53,800 --> 00:13:55,766
that they can pay us

338
00:13:55,766 --> 00:13:58,000
for what our people
have endured.

339
00:13:58,000 --> 00:14:01,100
The notion that comes
out of our committee,

340
00:14:01,100 --> 00:14:05,066
ancestral wisdom about justice.

341
00:14:05,066 --> 00:14:06,366
Not charity.

342
00:14:06,366 --> 00:14:08,400
And that's the distinction
we're looking for

343
00:14:08,400 --> 00:14:10,233
in terms of public policy

344
00:14:10,233 --> 00:14:11,600
and what we're talking about

345
00:14:11,600 --> 00:14:13,700
when we talk about
reparatory justice.

346
00:14:13,700 --> 00:14:16,833
- When you use the term
reparations in this context,

347
00:14:16,833 --> 00:14:19,366
a whole slew of categories--

348
00:14:19,366 --> 00:14:21,233
redlining, apartheid,

349
00:14:21,233 --> 00:14:23,500
which was Jim Crow segregation,
slavery--

350
00:14:23,500 --> 00:14:26,033
these were what were considered
crimes against humanity.

351
00:14:26,033 --> 00:14:27,400
And how do you return
the dignity back

352
00:14:27,400 --> 00:14:29,200
to a people
whose dignity was eroded

353
00:14:29,200 --> 00:14:30,866
as a result of the crimes
that were committed?

354
00:14:30,866 --> 00:14:32,366
- Mm-hmm.

355
00:14:32,366 --> 00:14:34,233
- When we come to 1865,

356
00:14:34,233 --> 00:14:36,433
General Sherman's
Field Order 15,

357
00:14:36,433 --> 00:14:40,933
that was the moment
when the nation attempted

358
00:14:40,933 --> 00:14:44,200
to redress the crimes
of enslavement

359
00:14:44,200 --> 00:14:45,400
and all of the things
that went on

360
00:14:45,400 --> 00:14:47,333
through that cruel period.

361
00:14:47,333 --> 00:14:49,833
- [garbled speech]

362
00:14:49,833 --> 00:14:52,166
As the Union swept
towards victory

363
00:14:52,166 --> 00:14:54,633
over the slaveholding
Southern states,

364
00:14:54,633 --> 00:14:57,733
General William T. Sherman
issued a military order

365
00:14:57,733 --> 00:15:01,200
redistributing 400,000 acres
of Confederate lands

366
00:15:01,200 --> 00:15:03,833
to the recently emancipated
slaves.

367
00:15:05,233 --> 00:15:08,533
The order specified that
the land be divided equally

368
00:15:08,533 --> 00:15:11,100
into 40-acre parcels
and governed by

369
00:15:11,100 --> 00:15:14,433
an autonomous,
all-Black government.

370
00:15:14,433 --> 00:15:17,400
This order,
Special Order Field 15,

371
00:15:17,400 --> 00:15:20,233
became known as
"40 acres and a mule."

372
00:15:20,233 --> 00:15:22,900
[tense music]

373
00:15:22,900 --> 00:15:25,066
- General Sherman's
Field Order 15,

374
00:15:25,066 --> 00:15:27,933
that was the first
of many times

375
00:15:27,933 --> 00:15:29,566
where this country had
an opportunity

376
00:15:29,566 --> 00:15:31,566
to do the right thing,
and it never did.

377
00:15:31,566 --> 00:15:34,366
♪ ♪

378
00:15:34,366 --> 00:15:36,066
If they had,
then we wouldn't be

379
00:15:36,066 --> 00:15:38,766
in the situation we're in now.

380
00:15:38,766 --> 00:15:41,233
Less than three months
after General Sherman's order,

381
00:15:41,233 --> 00:15:42,800
Lincoln was assassinated,

382
00:15:42,800 --> 00:15:45,266
and the new president
rescinded it.

383
00:15:45,266 --> 00:15:50,233
That kind of ended reparations
for 50, 60 years.

384
00:15:50,233 --> 00:15:51,933
That's when
Sister Callie House

385
00:15:51,933 --> 00:15:53,366
comes into that.

386
00:15:53,366 --> 00:15:57,266
A lot of ex-slaves
were too old to work.

387
00:15:57,266 --> 00:15:58,866
♪ ♪

388
00:15:58,866 --> 00:16:01,300
She had set up
a massive movement

389
00:16:01,300 --> 00:16:05,300
trying to get government
pensions for ex-slaves.

390
00:16:05,300 --> 00:16:08,466
She was stopped by being
arrested and imprisoned

391
00:16:08,466 --> 00:16:10,166
because the government said

392
00:16:10,166 --> 00:16:12,866
she was actually defrauding
her members,

393
00:16:12,866 --> 00:16:14,766
that she should have known

394
00:16:14,766 --> 00:16:17,466
America was never gonna pay.

395
00:16:17,466 --> 00:16:21,133
Callie House was a threat
to white America

396
00:16:21,133 --> 00:16:22,366
and to the government

397
00:16:22,366 --> 00:16:24,866
because she inspired
a movement

398
00:16:24,866 --> 00:16:26,333
to see this issue

399
00:16:26,333 --> 00:16:29,533
as a collective struggle
of a people,

400
00:16:29,533 --> 00:16:32,133
but the question is,
do you see yourself

401
00:16:32,133 --> 00:16:35,466
as part of the people
of African descent,

402
00:16:35,466 --> 00:16:38,466
or do you see yourself
as American individuals

403
00:16:38,466 --> 00:16:40,033
who happen to be Black?

404
00:16:40,033 --> 00:16:44,566
♪ ♪

405
00:16:49,133 --> 00:16:52,000
- This is the redline map
that shows the area

406
00:16:52,000 --> 00:16:54,700
that was redlined, all
encompassing the Fifth Ward.

407
00:16:54,700 --> 00:16:57,233
Redlining
was a Federal Housing program

408
00:16:57,233 --> 00:16:59,600
designating areas in cities

409
00:16:59,600 --> 00:17:03,000
that had a potential
real estate growth,

410
00:17:03,000 --> 00:17:05,500
and assigning value to areas.

411
00:17:05,500 --> 00:17:08,133
So if you're in
the higher letters, A, B,

412
00:17:08,133 --> 00:17:10,933
the green areas
are the most desirable areas.

413
00:17:10,933 --> 00:17:13,400
Those are areas
where banks specifically

414
00:17:13,400 --> 00:17:17,366
would lend money for housing
and for development.

415
00:17:17,366 --> 00:17:19,866
This whole blue area here
is all lakefront property.

416
00:17:19,866 --> 00:17:21,900
So highly desired.

417
00:17:21,900 --> 00:17:23,966
Then when you get in yellow,
it's kind of iffy, you know,

418
00:17:23,966 --> 00:17:26,466
but a lot of times,
this represents middle class,

419
00:17:26,466 --> 00:17:29,033
working class, ethnic white.

420
00:17:29,033 --> 00:17:32,533
If you're labeled D,
that's the lowest.

421
00:17:32,533 --> 00:17:35,333
Banks recommend no investment
whatsoever.

422
00:17:35,333 --> 00:17:38,866
Not in housing,
not in business development.

423
00:17:38,866 --> 00:17:41,900
100% of the time,
it is the Black population.

424
00:17:41,900 --> 00:17:44,333
So Robin lives
about right here,

425
00:17:44,333 --> 00:17:46,433
right in the middle,
where the D2 is.

426
00:17:49,166 --> 00:17:50,766
- Okay, well, my Uber is here.

427
00:17:50,766 --> 00:17:52,500
- Oh, daughter!
- [laughs]

428
00:17:52,500 --> 00:17:54,033
- Baby.
- I'll see you Monday.

429
00:17:54,033 --> 00:17:55,033
Or Tuesday.
- Okay, bye, baby.

430
00:17:55,033 --> 00:17:56,066
Have fun.
- Bye-bye.

431
00:17:56,066 --> 00:17:57,633
- Mm-hmm.
- You got the door?

432
00:17:57,633 --> 00:17:58,833
- Yeah.

433
00:18:05,400 --> 00:18:06,500
Hey, Demetrius, how are you?

434
00:18:06,500 --> 00:18:07,666
It's Robin.

435
00:18:07,666 --> 00:18:08,733
I'm just touching base

436
00:18:08,733 --> 00:18:10,900
after that call we had
yesterday.

437
00:18:10,900 --> 00:18:12,866
Did I have any action items?

438
00:18:12,866 --> 00:18:15,733
My feelings are all over
the place right now.

439
00:18:15,733 --> 00:18:18,233
Some mornings I wake up
and I feel like, wow,

440
00:18:18,233 --> 00:18:19,533
I'm a part of history.

441
00:18:19,533 --> 00:18:21,066
This is special.

442
00:18:21,066 --> 00:18:23,233
And then it's intimidating
at the same time,

443
00:18:23,233 --> 00:18:25,033
because what if
you don't get it right

444
00:18:25,033 --> 00:18:27,666
and everyone's
not comfortable with it?

445
00:18:28,966 --> 00:18:32,300
You know, people have been
extremely nasty to me,

446
00:18:32,300 --> 00:18:37,033
and I'm careful to maintain
my professionalism always

447
00:18:37,033 --> 00:18:39,633
and, you know,
use all my big words

448
00:18:39,633 --> 00:18:42,333
and not yell.

449
00:18:42,333 --> 00:18:44,766
And I just really want
to get to the action.

450
00:18:44,766 --> 00:18:46,333
Like, that's kind of
how I lead.

451
00:18:46,333 --> 00:18:49,133
I like to identify the problem,
you know,

452
00:18:49,133 --> 00:18:51,366
and get right
to identifying a solution

453
00:18:51,366 --> 00:18:53,100
and put some action
behind that.

454
00:18:53,100 --> 00:18:55,633
But we can't work
so swiftly with this

455
00:18:55,633 --> 00:18:57,666
because there are, you know,

456
00:18:57,666 --> 00:19:02,066
generations and decades
and layers of problems

457
00:19:02,066 --> 00:19:06,433
and damages
and responsible institutions

458
00:19:06,433 --> 00:19:08,500
and practices and culture.

459
00:19:09,366 --> 00:19:11,800
And the more I learn

460
00:19:11,800 --> 00:19:15,100
and the more
I get accomplished,

461
00:19:15,100 --> 00:19:17,866
it seems like
the more work there is to do.

462
00:19:17,866 --> 00:19:20,733
[soft music]

463
00:19:20,733 --> 00:19:27,766
♪ ♪

464
00:19:41,433 --> 00:19:44,166
- I'm trying to find
my husband,

465
00:19:44,166 --> 00:19:47,000
who doesn't often
get to come here.

466
00:19:47,000 --> 00:19:49,533
And one of my swearing in.

467
00:19:51,233 --> 00:19:53,066
Me and President Clinton.

468
00:19:53,066 --> 00:19:54,933
We had an Oval Office picture.

469
00:19:54,933 --> 00:19:56,033
That's a big deal,

470
00:19:56,033 --> 00:19:58,266
when you have
a one-on-one meeting

471
00:19:58,266 --> 00:19:59,900
with the President
of the United States.

472
00:19:59,900 --> 00:20:01,366
I appreciate that.

473
00:20:01,366 --> 00:20:04,766
We were talking
about some serious issues.

474
00:20:05,400 --> 00:20:06,900
There's Mandela.

475
00:20:08,800 --> 00:20:10,566
Barbara.

476
00:20:11,233 --> 00:20:14,833
That's my good friend
Congressman John Conyers.

477
00:20:14,833 --> 00:20:18,566
Fighting the good fight
of H.R. 40 reparations.

478
00:20:20,133 --> 00:20:22,733
This was deeply personal

479
00:20:22,733 --> 00:20:26,133
because I have lived
the laws of the land

480
00:20:26,133 --> 00:20:29,800
dividing us
by sanctioning discrimination

481
00:20:29,800 --> 00:20:31,866
and racism.

482
00:20:31,866 --> 00:20:35,866
John Lewis is--
I have to get way up here.

483
00:20:35,866 --> 00:20:37,633
John Lewis,
just a wonderful man,

484
00:20:37,633 --> 00:20:39,966
and he was a strong supporter
of H.R. 40.

485
00:20:39,966 --> 00:20:42,000
I just miss him so much.

486
00:20:43,100 --> 00:20:45,133
My grandparents
were in Florida.

487
00:20:45,133 --> 00:20:46,900
When I would go visit them,

488
00:20:46,900 --> 00:20:50,333
I rode in the back
of the train,

489
00:20:50,333 --> 00:20:54,166
as a little girl,
with my bag of food,

490
00:20:54,166 --> 00:20:59,833
because I could not eat
any place in that train.

491
00:20:59,833 --> 00:21:02,533
I had to be relegated

492
00:21:02,533 --> 00:21:04,600
to the train
for colored people,

493
00:21:04,600 --> 00:21:07,966
and you had to bring
your own food.

494
00:21:07,966 --> 00:21:10,566
And my mom and dad.

495
00:21:10,566 --> 00:21:15,533
My father was a young,
brilliant cartoonist.

496
00:21:15,533 --> 00:21:17,800
This is the "Invisible Men:

497
00:21:17,800 --> 00:21:20,900
The Trailblazing Black Artists
of Comic Books."

498
00:21:20,900 --> 00:21:22,733
♪ ♪

499
00:21:22,733 --> 00:21:23,900
Ezra Clyde Jackson.

500
00:21:23,900 --> 00:21:25,600
There he is.

501
00:21:25,600 --> 00:21:28,233
He did it under a pseudonym
'cause there was a broker

502
00:21:28,233 --> 00:21:32,666
who took the work
that these Black men had

503
00:21:32,666 --> 00:21:35,566
and then took it
to Madison Avenue.

504
00:21:35,566 --> 00:21:36,966
Because the color thing,

505
00:21:36,966 --> 00:21:39,600
it had to be
sort of camouflaged.

506
00:21:39,600 --> 00:21:41,566
Oh, there. I'll turn the page.

507
00:21:41,566 --> 00:21:43,466
This the kind of work
that he did.

508
00:21:43,466 --> 00:21:46,433
♪ ♪

509
00:21:46,433 --> 00:21:47,633
And this is what they did.

510
00:21:47,633 --> 00:21:48,700
They took their work

511
00:21:48,700 --> 00:21:50,266
and then they put
a pseudonym on it

512
00:21:50,266 --> 00:21:53,266
and sold it
to the comic books...

513
00:21:53,266 --> 00:21:55,833
♪ ♪

514
00:21:55,833 --> 00:21:57,733
So they wouldn't know
that Black people,

515
00:21:57,733 --> 00:21:59,900
Black men did it.

516
00:21:59,900 --> 00:22:02,266
♪ ♪

517
00:22:02,266 --> 00:22:04,166
And then
when the white soldiers

518
00:22:04,166 --> 00:22:06,133
came back from World War II,

519
00:22:06,133 --> 00:22:09,100
it was just,
"We don't need you anymore."

520
00:22:09,100 --> 00:22:13,866
That stained us
for his whole life

521
00:22:13,866 --> 00:22:17,433
into my beginning of my life.

522
00:22:17,433 --> 00:22:22,000
I'm still not prepared
to join an insurrection.

523
00:22:22,000 --> 00:22:24,533
I just want to understand,
and I want you to understand

524
00:22:24,533 --> 00:22:27,966
who I am and who we are.

525
00:22:33,533 --> 00:22:35,433
- I didn't know
if what you wanted

526
00:22:35,433 --> 00:22:37,800
was relative
to the agenda items.

527
00:22:37,800 --> 00:22:39,300
So I was trying
to make an effort

528
00:22:39,300 --> 00:22:41,566
to touch base with you before.

529
00:22:41,566 --> 00:22:43,300
Six generations of my family

530
00:22:43,300 --> 00:22:45,166
have been
Fifth Ward residents.

531
00:22:45,166 --> 00:22:47,766
The work is personal for me.

532
00:22:47,766 --> 00:22:49,166
I have a daughter,

533
00:22:49,166 --> 00:22:52,566
and I have, you know,
a son and a grandson.

534
00:22:52,566 --> 00:22:55,766
They're Black children
that are in a cruel world

535
00:22:55,766 --> 00:22:59,366
with discrimination
and unfair practices

536
00:22:59,366 --> 00:23:02,200
that they have to navigate
life with.

537
00:23:02,200 --> 00:23:04,766
And if I can do anything
to give them hope

538
00:23:04,766 --> 00:23:06,800
that they can be
whatever they want to be,

539
00:23:06,800 --> 00:23:08,400
that's my responsibility.

540
00:23:08,400 --> 00:23:11,400
[upbeat music]

541
00:23:11,400 --> 00:23:18,433
♪ ♪

542
00:23:19,433 --> 00:23:21,600
So I grew up right here
in the Fifth Ward.

543
00:23:21,600 --> 00:23:23,133
I was born and raised.

544
00:23:23,133 --> 00:23:28,566
And from birth to 17,
when I left

545
00:23:28,566 --> 00:23:31,766
after graduating
Evanston Township High School,

546
00:23:31,766 --> 00:23:33,733
I lived in--
I should count them.

547
00:23:33,733 --> 00:23:38,233
it may be somewhere between
10 and 12 different homes

548
00:23:38,233 --> 00:23:40,200
in the Fifth Ward.

549
00:23:40,200 --> 00:23:42,500
So this is my neighborhood.

550
00:23:42,500 --> 00:23:45,266
Much of my childhood I actually
lived with my grandparents,

551
00:23:45,266 --> 00:23:50,500
so my mother was pursuing
her highest and best life,

552
00:23:50,500 --> 00:23:53,733
and I lived
with my grandparents.

553
00:23:53,733 --> 00:23:55,466
So this was
my grandparents' home.

554
00:23:55,466 --> 00:24:00,666
And so we lived
on the first floor.

555
00:24:00,666 --> 00:24:02,066
This was my home base.

556
00:24:02,066 --> 00:24:06,166
I probably lived here
some stretch of grade school,

557
00:24:06,166 --> 00:24:08,933
most of junior high,
all of high school.

558
00:24:08,933 --> 00:24:10,766
I lived with my grandparents
here in this house.

559
00:24:10,766 --> 00:24:13,300
This is me
in front of that house.

560
00:24:13,300 --> 00:24:15,300
[laughs]

561
00:24:17,033 --> 00:24:20,200
We didn't have a lot,
but we had a ton of love,

562
00:24:20,200 --> 00:24:22,433
and I didn't know
that I didn't have a lot.

563
00:24:22,433 --> 00:24:24,966
I mean, it wasn't until
I moved out

564
00:24:24,966 --> 00:24:26,900
and entered into adulting

565
00:24:26,900 --> 00:24:29,200
that I realized that we were,
you know,

566
00:24:29,200 --> 00:24:30,600
working class poor.

567
00:24:30,600 --> 00:24:32,233
I thought I was well-off.

568
00:24:32,233 --> 00:24:34,966
[soft music]

569
00:24:34,966 --> 00:24:36,366
It's my village.

570
00:24:36,366 --> 00:24:38,366
Like these streets raised me,

571
00:24:38,366 --> 00:24:41,500
and that community
I'm just forever grateful for.

572
00:24:41,500 --> 00:24:44,600
I could have very easily
been something else.

573
00:24:44,600 --> 00:24:48,566
I could have very easily had
an addiction or, you know,

574
00:24:48,566 --> 00:24:51,766
been in the criminal justice
system.

575
00:24:51,766 --> 00:24:57,700
And my community
really helped me believe

576
00:24:57,700 --> 00:24:59,400
that I could choose

577
00:24:59,400 --> 00:25:01,566
to be however great
I wanted to be.

578
00:25:01,566 --> 00:25:04,600
And I believed them,
and here I am today,

579
00:25:04,600 --> 00:25:08,400
trying really, really hard
to give back

580
00:25:08,400 --> 00:25:12,400
in the way that I was receiving
as a child.

581
00:25:12,400 --> 00:25:19,433
♪ ♪

582
00:25:30,633 --> 00:25:32,800
- We are here in Hecky Way.

583
00:25:32,800 --> 00:25:34,866
Hi. How you doing?

584
00:25:34,866 --> 00:25:36,200
- Sauce on the regular tips?

585
00:25:36,200 --> 00:25:37,466
- Yes.

586
00:25:38,400 --> 00:25:40,733
- We specialize in barbecue.

587
00:25:40,733 --> 00:25:43,433
It's a homemade recipe
received from my mother.

588
00:25:43,433 --> 00:25:45,266
She got it
from her grandmother.

589
00:25:45,266 --> 00:25:47,233
♪ ♪

590
00:25:47,233 --> 00:25:49,266
This is our smokers here.

591
00:25:50,766 --> 00:25:52,500
Those are rib tips.

592
00:25:52,500 --> 00:25:54,900
And Kendra's over here
working pulled pork--

593
00:25:54,900 --> 00:25:57,900
or she pretending like
she's working the pulled pork.

594
00:25:57,900 --> 00:25:59,033
[laughs]

595
00:25:59,033 --> 00:26:02,100
We sell so much,
I had to get a machine.

596
00:26:02,100 --> 00:26:03,366
People don't have
the work ethic.

597
00:26:03,366 --> 00:26:05,733
That's what we're trying
to teach like they used to.

598
00:26:06,500 --> 00:26:09,933
I'm not liberal, okay?

599
00:26:09,933 --> 00:26:11,366
I'm, like, in the middle.

600
00:26:11,366 --> 00:26:14,066
I helped Robin on her campaign
to be an alderperson.

601
00:26:14,066 --> 00:26:16,000
You know, our council,
in this community,

602
00:26:16,000 --> 00:26:17,766
has got a little too liberal
for me.

603
00:26:17,766 --> 00:26:20,566
I mean, reparation,
we don't need it.

604
00:26:20,566 --> 00:26:24,533
When we talk about redlining,
that wasn't good.

605
00:26:24,533 --> 00:26:27,066
But then there was part of it
that was good.

606
00:26:27,066 --> 00:26:29,633
All the Black people
live together.

607
00:26:29,633 --> 00:26:32,100
We all was in
the same neighborhood.

608
00:26:32,100 --> 00:26:36,066
The poor, the middle class,
and the rich.

609
00:26:36,066 --> 00:26:39,366
My family's been here
since 1902.

610
00:26:39,366 --> 00:26:43,600
My great-grandfather,
now, he was born into slavery.

611
00:26:43,600 --> 00:26:45,900
His mother
and three of the siblings

612
00:26:45,900 --> 00:26:48,300
escaped from New Madrid,
Missouri,

613
00:26:48,300 --> 00:26:49,833
where they were picking
cotton.

614
00:26:49,833 --> 00:26:54,400
And my dad,
who raised nine kids

615
00:26:54,400 --> 00:26:56,566
doing domestic work
on the North Shore.

616
00:26:56,566 --> 00:26:58,400
You know,
the man worked extremely hard,

617
00:26:58,400 --> 00:27:00,466
and he saved his money.

618
00:27:00,466 --> 00:27:01,700
And he built a house.

619
00:27:01,700 --> 00:27:04,333
This is back during the time

620
00:27:04,333 --> 00:27:05,800
when they were not giving

621
00:27:05,800 --> 00:27:09,933
or considering giving
Black men money for homes.

622
00:27:09,933 --> 00:27:14,466
You know, we never
was on any type of public aid

623
00:27:14,466 --> 00:27:16,800
or assistance
or any of those things.

624
00:27:16,800 --> 00:27:18,266
He didn't believe in it.

625
00:27:18,266 --> 00:27:19,700
And he wouldn't take it anyway.

626
00:27:19,700 --> 00:27:22,433
He believed and taught us
the work ethic.

627
00:27:22,433 --> 00:27:25,433
And that all of us, you
should work for what you want.

628
00:27:25,433 --> 00:27:28,466
This one here
is some key people

629
00:27:28,466 --> 00:27:30,133
that played a great role
in the community.

630
00:27:30,133 --> 00:27:32,800
This guy here,
he owned this company.

631
00:27:32,800 --> 00:27:34,466
Golden Crown Juices.

632
00:27:34,466 --> 00:27:35,966
He couldn't get
into the big stores,

633
00:27:35,966 --> 00:27:37,333
but he was smart.

634
00:27:37,333 --> 00:27:39,633
He hired these two white guys
to be his salesmen,

635
00:27:39,633 --> 00:27:41,233
and they thought
they were the owners.

636
00:27:41,233 --> 00:27:42,300
So that's how he got--

637
00:27:42,300 --> 00:27:43,566
that's how he got
into those stores.

638
00:27:43,566 --> 00:27:44,800
He knew how to think.

639
00:27:44,800 --> 00:27:47,800
This guy is named Jack Moss.

640
00:27:47,800 --> 00:27:50,766
He owned the grocery store
that was down the street.

641
00:27:50,766 --> 00:27:53,066
That's where every--
Black people shopped at,

642
00:27:53,066 --> 00:27:54,166
was at his place.

643
00:27:54,166 --> 00:27:55,566
No hand-me-outs.

644
00:27:55,566 --> 00:27:56,900
No government funds.

645
00:27:56,900 --> 00:27:57,966
And you know something?

646
00:27:57,966 --> 00:27:59,600
If you didn't have
enough money,

647
00:27:59,600 --> 00:28:00,833
he had a little chart for you.

648
00:28:00,833 --> 00:28:02,533
You'd pay him off weekly.

649
00:28:02,533 --> 00:28:04,166
And that's my dad up there.

650
00:28:04,166 --> 00:28:05,933
I put him close to heaven.

651
00:28:05,933 --> 00:28:07,133
[chuckles]

652
00:28:09,200 --> 00:28:12,233
[soft music]

653
00:28:12,233 --> 00:28:15,200
♪ ♪

654
00:28:15,200 --> 00:28:17,933
- I've lived in Evanston
for 19 years.

655
00:28:17,933 --> 00:28:20,266
I thought I lived
in a diverse community,

656
00:28:20,266 --> 00:28:22,666
my kids went
to a diverse school.

657
00:28:22,666 --> 00:28:24,000
But all my friends were white.

658
00:28:24,000 --> 00:28:26,133
I lived in
a totally white neighborhood,

659
00:28:26,133 --> 00:28:30,033
and I knew absolutely nothing
about the Black community

660
00:28:30,033 --> 00:28:31,733
or the history of
the Black community.

661
00:28:31,733 --> 00:28:34,500
And I think once you know that

662
00:28:34,500 --> 00:28:37,233
and once you hear the stories,

663
00:28:37,233 --> 00:28:39,300
you can't help but care.

664
00:28:39,300 --> 00:28:43,033
You can't help but recognize
the injustice,

665
00:28:43,033 --> 00:28:46,666
the enormous length of time

666
00:28:46,666 --> 00:28:48,833
that this injustice
has been going on.

667
00:28:48,833 --> 00:28:51,066
And so that's why
I give a [...],

668
00:28:51,066 --> 00:28:52,800
because there are people
in my community--

669
00:28:52,800 --> 00:28:54,366
it's my community.

670
00:28:54,366 --> 00:28:56,200
Dear Evanston.

671
00:28:56,200 --> 00:28:58,966
And so I started
Dear Evanston.

672
00:28:58,966 --> 00:29:01,600
It's an organization
based on a Facebook page,

673
00:29:01,600 --> 00:29:03,766
talking to white people
about what's going on

674
00:29:03,766 --> 00:29:05,033
in Evanston's Black community.

675
00:29:05,033 --> 00:29:07,700
Because there's such a divide
in our city.

676
00:29:07,700 --> 00:29:09,733
And there's so many
white people

677
00:29:09,733 --> 00:29:12,266
who are probably
pretty well-meaning

678
00:29:12,266 --> 00:29:16,800
but just don't know
what's going on.

679
00:29:16,800 --> 00:29:18,733
Just don't know
the history of Evanston.

680
00:29:18,733 --> 00:29:20,733
And not because
they don't want to know,

681
00:29:20,733 --> 00:29:23,366
but no one's ever taught them.

682
00:29:23,366 --> 00:29:25,866
And I was one of those people.

683
00:29:25,866 --> 00:29:27,233
I grew up in South Africa,

684
00:29:27,233 --> 00:29:30,433
and I left South Africa
when I was almost 15.

685
00:29:30,433 --> 00:29:32,233
And I think that growing up
in South Africa

686
00:29:32,233 --> 00:29:34,066
and being young

687
00:29:34,066 --> 00:29:37,133
and growing up
during apartheid,

688
00:29:37,133 --> 00:29:38,566
there was nothing I could do.

689
00:29:38,566 --> 00:29:43,066
There was nothing
that I felt any power to do.

690
00:29:43,066 --> 00:29:46,300
And I remember as a kid
feeling very guilty

691
00:29:46,300 --> 00:29:52,266
and uncomfortable and helpless.

692
00:29:53,300 --> 00:29:55,966
I live in
this beautiful house,

693
00:29:55,966 --> 00:30:01,233
and the question is,
how much do we owe?

694
00:30:01,233 --> 00:30:04,466
And how much should we give?

695
00:30:04,466 --> 00:30:07,133
I think every white person
in Evanston

696
00:30:07,133 --> 00:30:10,166
is gonna need to answer
that question for themselves.

697
00:30:10,166 --> 00:30:15,033
I can't even say for myself
what it is that I'm "prepared"

698
00:30:15,033 --> 00:30:18,733
or that my family
is prepared to give,

699
00:30:18,733 --> 00:30:22,133
because it's, like,
an insurmountable amount

700
00:30:22,133 --> 00:30:24,666
that is owed.

701
00:30:24,666 --> 00:30:27,266
I don't know
how we'll ever pay it.

702
00:30:27,266 --> 00:30:30,533
I don't know how, as a family,
we'd be able to pay it,

703
00:30:30,533 --> 00:30:33,066
and how much we'll be willing
to, to be very honest.

704
00:30:33,066 --> 00:30:34,533
You know?

705
00:30:34,533 --> 00:30:39,033
How much of--how much of
our privilege and our money

706
00:30:39,033 --> 00:30:44,800
are we gonna be willing
to ultimately give to this?

707
00:30:44,800 --> 00:30:48,600
Something we think--
I have to think about a lot.

708
00:30:48,600 --> 00:30:55,633
♪ ♪

709
00:30:58,166 --> 00:31:00,933
- This is the rough part
of Evanston.

710
00:31:00,933 --> 00:31:06,366
This is the part of town
where you don't want to be out

711
00:31:06,366 --> 00:31:09,833
on a nice summer night
at 11:00 at night.

712
00:31:09,833 --> 00:31:11,233
Kind of a classic story.

713
00:31:11,233 --> 00:31:12,966
We always drove
our kids to school.

714
00:31:12,966 --> 00:31:16,033
I would just drive them
and then go to work.

715
00:31:16,033 --> 00:31:17,933
So we're driving
by the high school,

716
00:31:17,933 --> 00:31:20,133
with police line
all over the place.

717
00:31:20,133 --> 00:31:21,700
Someone got shot
at the high school.

718
00:31:21,700 --> 00:31:23,166
I don't know who did it.

719
00:31:23,166 --> 00:31:25,700
It's just the nature of this
neighborhood, or you know,

720
00:31:25,700 --> 00:31:27,466
it's--it's a rough--

721
00:31:27,466 --> 00:31:29,400
it's a rough part of town.

722
00:31:29,400 --> 00:31:32,700
Just it's just--
just the way it is.

723
00:31:32,700 --> 00:31:34,733
If you were to look at
some of these mailboxes,

724
00:31:34,733 --> 00:31:38,200
you'll see that
there are lots of people,

725
00:31:38,200 --> 00:31:41,433
probably seven or eight names
just listed on the mailbox.

726
00:31:42,966 --> 00:31:44,266
It's not right or wrong.

727
00:31:44,266 --> 00:31:45,633
It's just this is, you know--

728
00:31:45,633 --> 00:31:48,100
this is how they get through
life's journey, as well.

729
00:31:48,100 --> 00:31:49,200
Just...

730
00:31:51,733 --> 00:31:53,600
That's their world.

731
00:32:07,033 --> 00:32:09,366
Come on, Wolf. Come on.

732
00:32:09,366 --> 00:32:12,100
Robin, as to why reparations
are needed,

733
00:32:12,100 --> 00:32:13,533
she's mentioned that,
you know,

734
00:32:13,533 --> 00:32:15,966
people are being priced out
of Evanston.

735
00:32:15,966 --> 00:32:18,633
And you know,
thank God for the U.S. Census.

736
00:32:18,633 --> 00:32:21,900
I mean, in 1990,
Evanston was 78% white.

737
00:32:21,900 --> 00:32:24,133
It's now 59% white.

738
00:32:24,133 --> 00:32:26,100
It's okay.

739
00:32:26,100 --> 00:32:29,133
In 1990, it was 22% Black.

740
00:32:29,133 --> 00:32:31,566
It's now 16% Black.

741
00:32:31,566 --> 00:32:33,000
Again, I don't have a problem
with that.

742
00:32:33,000 --> 00:32:35,366
That's just people come and go,
and people move.

743
00:32:35,366 --> 00:32:37,333
In the meantime,
Evanston has gone

744
00:32:37,333 --> 00:32:41,600
from 15% Asian to 27% Asian.

745
00:32:41,600 --> 00:32:45,000
I--so I just don't see
this issue that, you know,

746
00:32:45,000 --> 00:32:46,333
the part
of the reparations fund

747
00:32:46,333 --> 00:32:48,366
is gonna be used
to keep Black families

748
00:32:48,366 --> 00:32:49,466
in the community.

749
00:32:49,466 --> 00:32:51,000
I don't know why
they would be given

750
00:32:51,000 --> 00:32:54,800
more status
than any other group of people.

751
00:32:54,800 --> 00:32:57,600
There's a lot of people
who are afraid to speak up.

752
00:32:57,600 --> 00:32:58,833
You're afraid that you--

753
00:32:58,833 --> 00:33:01,333
and speak
to a contrary position,

754
00:33:01,333 --> 00:33:04,633
you're actually afraid
to actually speak your mind,

755
00:33:04,633 --> 00:33:05,666
because someone's
gonna sit there

756
00:33:05,666 --> 00:33:07,933
and say, "You are a--"
whatever.

757
00:33:07,933 --> 00:33:11,166
And--or your car is going
to get keyed, or you're--

758
00:33:11,166 --> 00:33:14,200
you know, again, I don't know
that there's any incidences

759
00:33:14,200 --> 00:33:16,633
of someone who said something
that didn't agree

760
00:33:16,633 --> 00:33:18,766
with the masses
getting their car keyed,

761
00:33:18,766 --> 00:33:20,966
but that's the inner feeling.

762
00:33:20,966 --> 00:33:23,466
That saying
something controversial

763
00:33:23,466 --> 00:33:25,433
is gonna end up, you know,
causing harm

764
00:33:25,433 --> 00:33:27,333
to myself and my family.

765
00:33:27,333 --> 00:33:29,500
I mean, if you think
about reparations,

766
00:33:29,500 --> 00:33:32,400
reparations conceptually,

767
00:33:32,400 --> 00:33:35,300
it's for those that
were victimized by slavery.

768
00:33:35,300 --> 00:33:38,400
So if there was gonna be
a time to make the reparations

769
00:33:38,400 --> 00:33:40,366
for the harm of slavery,
I would argue

770
00:33:40,366 --> 00:33:42,733
that that should have
been done, you know,

771
00:33:42,733 --> 00:33:44,700
in the late 19th century.

772
00:33:44,700 --> 00:33:46,466
We're now in the 21st century.

773
00:33:46,466 --> 00:33:47,866
I think what it'll end up doing

774
00:33:47,866 --> 00:33:50,733
is making us look
like a bunch of bloody fools.

775
00:33:55,433 --> 00:33:57,966
- All that makes somebody
Black or somebody white--

776
00:33:57,966 --> 00:34:00,166
what we're talking about
is just skin color.

777
00:34:00,166 --> 00:34:02,300
[indistinct chatter]

778
00:34:02,300 --> 00:34:04,733
In my family, it's all mixed.

779
00:34:04,733 --> 00:34:06,000
You want a bag? You sure?

780
00:34:06,000 --> 00:34:07,500
- Not gonna last that long.

781
00:34:07,500 --> 00:34:09,000
- All right. Thanks, man.

782
00:34:09,000 --> 00:34:11,033
I did a DNA on myself.

783
00:34:11,033 --> 00:34:13,600
I'm all mixed up.

784
00:34:13,600 --> 00:34:15,133
This is just a human body.

785
00:34:15,133 --> 00:34:17,000
My spirit, I love.

786
00:34:17,000 --> 00:34:19,166
That has no color.

787
00:34:19,166 --> 00:34:21,966
We all in this country are
nothing but a bunch of mutts.

788
00:34:21,966 --> 00:34:23,666
[laughs]

789
00:34:23,666 --> 00:34:27,333
We all are mutts.

790
00:34:27,333 --> 00:34:29,800
So I came out with a package
called The Mutt.

791
00:34:32,133 --> 00:34:35,100
These, hot links.

792
00:34:35,100 --> 00:34:37,300
Open up. [laughs]

793
00:34:38,666 --> 00:34:41,366
This here, chicken wings.

794
00:34:49,233 --> 00:34:51,433
See, this here
is the Black people.

795
00:34:51,433 --> 00:34:53,133
This is--
the red is the Indians.

796
00:34:53,133 --> 00:34:54,200
Okay?

797
00:34:56,533 --> 00:35:00,933
And then you take--and you put
your white bread on top.

798
00:35:00,933 --> 00:35:02,700
Okay?

799
00:35:02,700 --> 00:35:03,766
And there it is.

800
00:35:03,766 --> 00:35:05,366
That's The Mutt.

801
00:35:06,333 --> 00:35:07,633
Very special.

802
00:35:07,633 --> 00:35:09,733
I mean, that council's
really liberal.

803
00:35:09,733 --> 00:35:10,733
Nice people.

804
00:35:10,733 --> 00:35:11,966
But they're liberal,

805
00:35:11,966 --> 00:35:14,466
and they're scared
to be called racist.

806
00:35:14,466 --> 00:35:16,333
And they're gonna let it
go through.

807
00:35:16,333 --> 00:35:18,066
But will anything get done?

808
00:35:18,066 --> 00:35:19,133
That's what we've got to see.

809
00:35:19,133 --> 00:35:20,966
We're gonna see
where this goes.

810
00:35:20,966 --> 00:35:25,233
I don't think it's gonna go
too far for anyone.

811
00:35:25,233 --> 00:35:27,100
[cheers and applause]

812
00:35:27,100 --> 00:35:29,600
- We, the leaders

813
00:35:29,600 --> 00:35:34,266
of the effort
for reparations now,

814
00:35:34,266 --> 00:35:38,066
reparations
not in the next century,

815
00:35:38,066 --> 00:35:41,866
not in 2185,

816
00:35:41,866 --> 00:35:44,633
not 10 years from now,

817
00:35:44,633 --> 00:35:48,133
but reparations when?

818
00:35:48,133 --> 00:35:52,600
Reparations when?
Reparations when?

819
00:35:52,600 --> 00:35:55,533
- The reparations movement
during the 20th century

820
00:35:55,533 --> 00:35:58,633
took many forms
and faced many obstacles.

821
00:35:58,633 --> 00:36:00,266
♪ ♪

822
00:36:00,266 --> 00:36:02,800
Early in the century,
there was Marcus Garvey

823
00:36:02,800 --> 00:36:06,833
and his reparations
and repatriation movement.

824
00:36:06,833 --> 00:36:09,200
He was followed
by Queen Mother Moore,

825
00:36:09,200 --> 00:36:11,366
who in 1957 gathered

826
00:36:11,366 --> 00:36:14,733
over a million signatures
on a petition for reparations

827
00:36:14,733 --> 00:36:17,200
which she presented
to the United Nations.

828
00:36:17,200 --> 00:36:20,366
And in the 1960s and '70s,
the Black Panthers

829
00:36:20,366 --> 00:36:22,466
had a 10-point program
for liberation,

830
00:36:22,466 --> 00:36:25,633
which included a demand
for payment of the reparations

831
00:36:25,633 --> 00:36:29,133
promised in
Special Field Order No. 15.

832
00:36:29,133 --> 00:36:30,366
But when we think about

833
00:36:30,366 --> 00:36:32,100
the modern
reparations movement,

834
00:36:32,100 --> 00:36:33,666
it was really
Congressman John Conyers

835
00:36:33,666 --> 00:36:34,966
who got the ball rolling

836
00:36:34,966 --> 00:36:38,066
on the government
reparations policy.

837
00:36:38,066 --> 00:36:40,666
Spurred on by reparation's
Ray Jenkins,

838
00:36:40,666 --> 00:36:45,000
Conyers crafted the first
version of H.R. 40 in 1989

839
00:36:45,000 --> 00:36:46,633
and unsuccessfully
petitioned

840
00:36:46,633 --> 00:36:48,033
the House Judiciary Committee

841
00:36:48,033 --> 00:36:51,333
to take the bill up
for the next 30 years.

842
00:36:51,333 --> 00:36:55,066
♪ ♪

843
00:36:55,066 --> 00:36:56,766
The work is now
being carried forward

844
00:36:56,766 --> 00:37:00,166
by representative Sheila
Jackson Lee in Washington.

845
00:37:11,100 --> 00:37:12,566
- You're here to--

846
00:37:12,566 --> 00:37:14,666
- I'm here to meet
with the Congresswoman, yes.

847
00:37:14,666 --> 00:37:17,233
- Okay. Sign in.
Just go ahead.

848
00:37:18,033 --> 00:37:19,900
And she should be here
momentarily.

849
00:37:19,900 --> 00:37:20,933
So...
- Okay.

850
00:37:22,333 --> 00:37:25,400
[reporter on TV
speaking indistinctly]

851
00:37:33,000 --> 00:37:36,000
- Secretary Alex Azar
from earlier today.

852
00:37:37,333 --> 00:37:39,366
- We don't know exactly
how many...

853
00:37:39,366 --> 00:37:40,366
- Councilwoman?

854
00:37:40,366 --> 00:37:42,033
- We're so excited to see you.

855
00:37:42,033 --> 00:37:43,800
- Very happy to be here.
- Thank you so very much.

856
00:37:43,800 --> 00:37:45,066
Thank you.
Come on over here.

857
00:37:45,066 --> 00:37:46,466
- Okay. All right.
- Thank you.

858
00:37:46,466 --> 00:37:51,633
I'm delighted to welcome you
and to congratulate you.

859
00:37:51,633 --> 00:37:54,466
We were so excited
when we saw the legislation.

860
00:37:54,466 --> 00:37:57,333
In fact, we have used it in
presentations that we've made.

861
00:37:57,333 --> 00:37:58,433
- Wow.

862
00:37:58,433 --> 00:38:02,100
- I use your
outstanding construct.

863
00:38:02,100 --> 00:38:05,166
You've been, councilmember,
a real hero--shero--to me.

864
00:38:05,166 --> 00:38:06,866
- Thank you. Thank you.

865
00:38:06,866 --> 00:38:08,933
Being a member
of National League of Cities,

866
00:38:08,933 --> 00:38:12,166
you know, we learn that
all government starts locally,

867
00:38:12,166 --> 00:38:15,366
and the thought was,
why not do what we can do here

868
00:38:15,366 --> 00:38:19,800
at a local level while H.R. 40
is working through its process,

869
00:38:19,800 --> 00:38:21,300
through your leadership?

870
00:38:21,300 --> 00:38:24,200
We could have layers of repair
and layers of remedy,

871
00:38:24,200 --> 00:38:26,200
because, as we know,
those damages,

872
00:38:26,200 --> 00:38:27,933
yes, were rooted in slavery.

873
00:38:27,933 --> 00:38:30,200
But you know,
it looked like discrimination

874
00:38:30,200 --> 00:38:33,500
even still today because
the color of our dark skin.

875
00:38:33,500 --> 00:38:37,833
So excited to share anything
that we've done in Evanston

876
00:38:37,833 --> 00:38:41,966
and then learn more
about your goals for H.R. 40

877
00:38:41,966 --> 00:38:44,200
and how
we can even support that

878
00:38:44,200 --> 00:38:46,133
and make sure
that it gets passed.

879
00:38:46,133 --> 00:38:49,900
- Well, I think the good news
is that you are proactive.

880
00:38:49,900 --> 00:38:52,400
So I am very grateful
for that laboratory

881
00:38:52,400 --> 00:38:53,900
that you've given us.

882
00:38:53,900 --> 00:38:56,366
And I think
it will be very effective,

883
00:38:56,366 --> 00:38:59,166
being utilized and shared
with members of Congress.

884
00:38:59,166 --> 00:39:01,300
And what you have done
just adds

885
00:39:01,300 --> 00:39:06,100
to the really important story
of what reparations can be.

886
00:39:06,100 --> 00:39:08,066
So thank you.

887
00:39:08,066 --> 00:39:10,200
Glad you're here for
the National League of Cities.

888
00:39:10,200 --> 00:39:13,400
And glad we were able
to have this moment.

889
00:39:13,400 --> 00:39:14,400
- Thank you. I know.

890
00:39:14,400 --> 00:39:15,666
I wish this wasn't happening,

891
00:39:15,666 --> 00:39:17,433
'cause my first thing
was to get a big hug.

892
00:39:17,433 --> 00:39:18,766
- Same here.
- But next time.

893
00:39:18,766 --> 00:39:19,766
- Yeah.

894
00:39:19,766 --> 00:39:21,266
- Okay.

895
00:39:31,000 --> 00:39:32,066
- I need a moment.

896
00:39:32,066 --> 00:39:33,833
[laughs]
- Yeah.

897
00:39:33,833 --> 00:39:36,833
[soft music]

898
00:39:36,833 --> 00:39:38,100
♪ ♪

899
00:39:38,100 --> 00:39:40,233
- China has identified
the cause

900
00:39:40,233 --> 00:39:43,133
of the mysterious pneumonia
outbreak in Wuhan City.

901
00:39:43,133 --> 00:39:46,600
- In the past two weeks,
the number of cases

902
00:39:46,600 --> 00:39:51,433
of COVID-19 outside China
has increased 13-fold.

903
00:39:51,433 --> 00:39:53,866
- The great shutdown of 2020
is underway.

904
00:39:53,866 --> 00:39:56,733
We know the hospital surge
is coming.

905
00:39:56,733 --> 00:40:01,233
- I am officially declaring
a national emergency.

906
00:40:01,233 --> 00:40:02,566
Two very big words.

907
00:40:02,566 --> 00:40:05,700
- It is lights out
for tens of thousands

908
00:40:05,700 --> 00:40:07,533
of bars and restaurants
across the city,

909
00:40:07,533 --> 00:40:09,700
and even more
across the state.

910
00:40:09,700 --> 00:40:13,033
- To avoid loss of potentially
tens of thousands of lives,

911
00:40:13,033 --> 00:40:16,133
we must enact an immediate
stay-at-home order

912
00:40:16,133 --> 00:40:18,366
for the state of Illinois.

913
00:40:18,366 --> 00:40:22,133
So that is the action
that I'm announcing today.

914
00:40:24,800 --> 00:40:26,200
- We were in DC,

915
00:40:26,200 --> 00:40:30,300
and as we were in DC,
the coronavirus pandemic

916
00:40:30,300 --> 00:40:33,166
was becoming a concern.

917
00:40:33,166 --> 00:40:34,400
We returned home

918
00:40:34,400 --> 00:40:36,900
to pretty much
full-blown pandemic.

919
00:40:36,900 --> 00:40:40,166
Due to COVID, we have
a legit budget concern.

920
00:40:40,166 --> 00:40:42,366
The recommendation
was that we consider

921
00:40:42,366 --> 00:40:45,666
postponing reparation work
until 2021.

922
00:40:45,666 --> 00:40:51,233
Why in the world
would we postpone reparation

923
00:40:51,233 --> 00:40:54,700
for a community that was also

924
00:40:54,700 --> 00:40:59,066
disproportionately impacted
by the COVID virus?

925
00:40:59,066 --> 00:41:05,000
So we're moving forward with
our deadlines as of right now.

926
00:41:05,000 --> 00:41:08,066
Good evening, and thank you all
for joining us

927
00:41:08,066 --> 00:41:12,233
for our second Town Hall
for reparations in Evanston.

928
00:41:12,233 --> 00:41:16,666
I'm very excited
to introduce our next guest.

929
00:41:16,666 --> 00:41:19,733
We have Congresswoman
Sheila Jackson Lee

930
00:41:19,733 --> 00:41:23,133
here with us tonight,
and we are behind her--

931
00:41:23,133 --> 00:41:25,366
I am, I'll speak for myself--

932
00:41:25,366 --> 00:41:29,833
as you lead our nation
towards having H.R. 40 pass.

933
00:41:29,833 --> 00:41:32,400
- Alderman Simmons,
I am delighted to be here,

934
00:41:32,400 --> 00:41:34,900
and I was very privileged
to work with the honorable

935
00:41:34,900 --> 00:41:37,100
John Conyers,
late John Conyers,

936
00:41:37,100 --> 00:41:39,866
on many issues, including
criminal justice reform

937
00:41:39,866 --> 00:41:42,333
and, of course, H.R. 40.

938
00:41:42,333 --> 00:41:44,600
The time is now
for our nation to study

939
00:41:44,600 --> 00:41:46,533
and acknowledge
the effects and impact

940
00:41:46,533 --> 00:41:47,933
of slavery in America.

941
00:41:47,933 --> 00:41:50,866
The time is now to shed light
on our shared truth

942
00:41:50,866 --> 00:41:53,500
to enable healing
to a national reckoning,

943
00:41:53,500 --> 00:41:56,800
and to embrace and uplift
our shared humanity.

944
00:41:56,800 --> 00:41:58,766
And what you have done
in Evanston

945
00:41:58,766 --> 00:42:01,766
is a step forward
for people to see

946
00:42:01,766 --> 00:42:04,900
the value that will come
out of recognizing

947
00:42:04,900 --> 00:42:06,966
the idea of reparations.

948
00:42:06,966 --> 00:42:11,200
So in H.R. 40,
we have 126 cosponsors.

949
00:42:11,200 --> 00:42:13,600
We've never had
that many cosponsors

950
00:42:13,600 --> 00:42:15,266
in the decades
that it's been found.

951
00:42:15,266 --> 00:42:18,200
14 members away from 150.

952
00:42:18,200 --> 00:42:20,333
And I have no doubt
that we're gonna work

953
00:42:20,333 --> 00:42:21,900
to pass this legislation

954
00:42:21,900 --> 00:42:24,133
out of the United States House
and the Senate.

955
00:42:24,133 --> 00:42:25,533
Thank you for having me.

956
00:42:25,533 --> 00:42:26,600
- Thank you very much.

957
00:42:26,600 --> 00:42:28,233
We appreciate you being here.

958
00:42:28,233 --> 00:42:30,000
And we have to close
out this meeting.

959
00:42:30,000 --> 00:42:31,833
So thank you--
- Can I say something?

960
00:42:31,833 --> 00:42:33,933
Can I say something?
- Please. Please.

961
00:42:33,933 --> 00:42:36,100
- I think most people know
by now,

962
00:42:36,100 --> 00:42:40,400
but Hecky Powell is very ill,

963
00:42:40,400 --> 00:42:42,966
and we should all pray for him
tonight.

964
00:42:42,966 --> 00:42:44,066
- Yes.

965
00:42:44,066 --> 00:42:48,366
- He is in intensive care
with COVID.

966
00:42:48,366 --> 00:42:49,533
Thank you.

967
00:42:49,533 --> 00:42:52,866
- Thank you
for making that point.

968
00:42:52,866 --> 00:42:55,866
[somber music]

969
00:42:55,866 --> 00:43:02,966
♪ ♪

970
00:43:06,266 --> 00:43:08,966
- Data collected
by state and local agencies

971
00:43:08,966 --> 00:43:10,766
suggests Blacks are being

972
00:43:10,766 --> 00:43:14,100
disproportionately impacted
by COVID-19.

973
00:43:14,100 --> 00:43:16,633
- Black people in the U.S.
are nearly three times

974
00:43:16,633 --> 00:43:19,066
as likely to become
infected with the virus

975
00:43:19,066 --> 00:43:20,833
as their white neighbors,

976
00:43:20,833 --> 00:43:23,366
and nearly twice as likely
to die from it.

977
00:43:23,366 --> 00:43:26,700
- So you are talking
about 400 years of racism

978
00:43:26,700 --> 00:43:30,200
as a national model
in this country,

979
00:43:30,200 --> 00:43:32,766
and we are surprised
at why Black people

980
00:43:32,766 --> 00:43:36,300
are the most vulnerable
to any public health issue?

981
00:43:36,300 --> 00:43:41,400
♪ ♪

982
00:43:41,400 --> 00:43:44,733
- Hecky is somebody
who was the first

983
00:43:44,733 --> 00:43:48,166
that I talked to
about running for Alderman.

984
00:43:48,166 --> 00:43:50,100
His passing was a great loss

985
00:43:50,100 --> 00:43:52,233
for everybody
in the community.

986
00:43:52,233 --> 00:43:54,266
I think everybody felt like

987
00:43:54,266 --> 00:43:56,600
they had a special
relationship with Hecky.

988
00:43:56,600 --> 00:43:58,933
♪ ♪

989
00:43:58,933 --> 00:44:00,800
I know that I did.

990
00:44:00,800 --> 00:44:05,800
♪ ♪

991
00:44:05,800 --> 00:44:08,800
[upbeat music]

992
00:44:08,800 --> 00:44:15,833
♪ ♪

993
00:44:17,100 --> 00:44:19,166
- The greatest hurdle

994
00:44:19,166 --> 00:44:20,733
is the political will
to make it happen.

995
00:44:20,733 --> 00:44:23,600
And Alderman Simmons
made it happen.

996
00:44:23,600 --> 00:44:25,500
♪ ♪

997
00:44:25,500 --> 00:44:27,366
Before I took the job,
I knew that Evanston

998
00:44:27,366 --> 00:44:28,966
was working on
a reparations program,

999
00:44:28,966 --> 00:44:31,866
and I wanted the opportunity
to work with the committee.

1000
00:44:31,866 --> 00:44:35,066
My background as an attorney
is primarily litigation.

1001
00:44:36,100 --> 00:44:37,766
The number one question
that I get asked

1002
00:44:37,766 --> 00:44:39,600
as the legal counsel is,

1003
00:44:39,600 --> 00:44:44,366
how do you deal with it being
a race-based program?

1004
00:44:44,366 --> 00:44:46,000
How do you get over
that hurdle?

1005
00:44:48,433 --> 00:44:52,600
With respect to reparations
or any sort of equity work

1006
00:44:52,600 --> 00:44:58,766
in this country, ironically,
you battle the 14th Amendment.

1007
00:44:58,766 --> 00:45:01,466
The 14th Amendment guarantees
equal protection

1008
00:45:01,466 --> 00:45:04,366
under the laws of all citizens
in the United States.

1009
00:45:04,366 --> 00:45:06,033
Although the Amendment
was passed

1010
00:45:06,033 --> 00:45:09,366
to try and benefit freed slaves

1011
00:45:09,366 --> 00:45:12,066
and African Americans
in the country,

1012
00:45:12,066 --> 00:45:14,866
it's actually been used
to deny opportunities

1013
00:45:14,866 --> 00:45:16,233
to those same groups.

1014
00:45:16,233 --> 00:45:18,633
If someone sues,
they say, "This isn't right.

1015
00:45:18,633 --> 00:45:20,333
This is
reverse discrimination."

1016
00:45:20,333 --> 00:45:22,233
This is one
of my favorite terms.

1017
00:45:22,233 --> 00:45:24,466
This is reverse discrimination.

1018
00:45:24,466 --> 00:45:27,166
And ironically,

1019
00:45:27,166 --> 00:45:29,833
discrimination is one of
the hardest things to prove.

1020
00:45:29,833 --> 00:45:32,233
You can always say
in the area of housing,

1021
00:45:32,233 --> 00:45:33,633
"This person was denied

1022
00:45:33,633 --> 00:45:34,933
"because of their income.

1023
00:45:34,933 --> 00:45:36,333
"They were denied
because of their credit.

1024
00:45:36,333 --> 00:45:38,900
"They were denied
because of a laundry list

1025
00:45:38,900 --> 00:45:41,766
of things that had nothing
to do with their race."

1026
00:45:43,666 --> 00:45:46,400
But we didn't have
the resources internally

1027
00:45:46,400 --> 00:45:50,400
to find that evidence.

1028
00:45:50,400 --> 00:45:54,133
And Dino Robinson
was instrumental in gathering

1029
00:45:54,133 --> 00:45:56,666
a lot of evidence,
specifically implicating

1030
00:45:56,666 --> 00:45:57,866
actions of the city

1031
00:45:57,866 --> 00:46:00,366
with respect
to discrimination.

1032
00:46:00,366 --> 00:46:03,333
- You know, what we're trying
to anticipate is,

1033
00:46:03,333 --> 00:46:04,500
what if somebody comes
and says,

1034
00:46:04,500 --> 00:46:06,500
"Well, this wasn't a law

1035
00:46:06,500 --> 00:46:09,166
"in the law books
in the city of Evanston.

1036
00:46:09,166 --> 00:46:10,933
So how can you say
it happened?"

1037
00:46:10,933 --> 00:46:13,533
Well, since we did not have
any written laws,

1038
00:46:13,533 --> 00:46:16,066
we had to look
for the underlying evidence

1039
00:46:16,066 --> 00:46:20,400
in, you know, procedures
and thought processes,

1040
00:46:20,400 --> 00:46:23,133
and maybe just the way
the city of Evanston

1041
00:46:23,133 --> 00:46:25,200
conducted themselves
with the Black community.

1042
00:46:26,133 --> 00:46:27,400
So we found this recently.

1043
00:46:27,400 --> 00:46:30,033
"Negroes unable
to secure homes here."

1044
00:46:30,033 --> 00:46:33,633
This came out January 2, 1918.

1045
00:46:33,633 --> 00:46:36,566
Nearly 50 colored families
living in cramped homes

1046
00:46:36,566 --> 00:46:38,500
of friends and relatives
are unable to rent

1047
00:46:38,500 --> 00:46:41,000
any other hundreds
of empty houses.

1048
00:46:41,000 --> 00:46:43,833
And it goes on to say,
like, landlords will not rent

1049
00:46:43,833 --> 00:46:47,666
to Negroes,
and how can land owners

1050
00:46:47,666 --> 00:46:51,200
and realtors selling homes
to Negroes,

1051
00:46:51,200 --> 00:46:53,100
how can we prevent that
from happening?

1052
00:46:53,100 --> 00:46:54,700
And can we move
the Black community

1053
00:46:54,700 --> 00:46:56,800
to unincorporated Niles?

1054
00:46:56,800 --> 00:46:59,800
So that is played out
over and over again.

1055
00:46:59,800 --> 00:47:01,266
We know it happens,

1056
00:47:01,266 --> 00:47:04,733
but to find documentation
of some sort,

1057
00:47:04,733 --> 00:47:06,366
you know, it's an eye-opener.

1058
00:47:06,366 --> 00:47:10,333
Yes, beautiful Evanston
has its roots in Jim Crow.

1059
00:47:12,133 --> 00:47:15,200
[birds chirping]

1060
00:47:28,100 --> 00:47:29,700
- There's a reason why
a lot of the Blacks

1061
00:47:29,700 --> 00:47:31,233
are not here anymore.

1062
00:47:31,233 --> 00:47:34,366
I think my mom is the last
original owner on this block.

1063
00:47:34,366 --> 00:47:35,600
- That's what I've been told.

1064
00:47:35,600 --> 00:47:37,333
I don't know for sure.

1065
00:47:37,333 --> 00:47:39,300
- This is a first-step
initiative

1066
00:47:39,300 --> 00:47:43,066
to try to re-compensate
for the losses

1067
00:47:43,066 --> 00:47:45,100
that we've taken
over the years.

1068
00:47:45,100 --> 00:47:47,100
- It would help for now.

1069
00:47:49,100 --> 00:47:53,566
- Well, I think that it's more
like repairing the dignity.

1070
00:47:53,566 --> 00:47:55,466
You know, people looking at you

1071
00:47:55,466 --> 00:47:57,566
based on the color of your skin

1072
00:47:57,566 --> 00:47:59,166
and being discriminated against

1073
00:47:59,166 --> 00:48:02,300
just solely because of
how you look, you know,

1074
00:48:02,300 --> 00:48:05,733
it really can have a traumatic
effect on you overall.

1075
00:48:05,733 --> 00:48:08,600
In looking back at what
my dad had to go through

1076
00:48:08,600 --> 00:48:10,433
back in the South
during Jim Crow,

1077
00:48:10,433 --> 00:48:14,933
and you could literally
be beaten and killed

1078
00:48:14,933 --> 00:48:16,533
for standing up for yourself.

1079
00:48:16,533 --> 00:48:19,833
So it took me a long time
to understand

1080
00:48:19,833 --> 00:48:25,766
that my dad was protecting me
by shuffling his feet

1081
00:48:25,766 --> 00:48:29,333
and skinning and grinning
in front of the white man.

1082
00:48:29,333 --> 00:48:31,466
And it took me
at least 30 years

1083
00:48:31,466 --> 00:48:33,766
to understand why he did that.

1084
00:48:34,433 --> 00:48:37,633
So yeah, I think
that these type of programs

1085
00:48:37,633 --> 00:48:40,600
restore dignity and faith
that, you know,

1086
00:48:40,600 --> 00:48:44,466
the system is changing
and working in a way

1087
00:48:44,466 --> 00:48:47,366
towards bringing
better equality

1088
00:48:47,366 --> 00:48:50,766
and bringing different races
together

1089
00:48:50,766 --> 00:48:52,933
in more understanding.

1090
00:48:53,900 --> 00:48:55,633
- Good afternoon.
You're on the air.

1091
00:48:55,633 --> 00:48:57,733
- I got friends and family
talking about,

1092
00:48:57,733 --> 00:49:00,166
they're gonna give us
reparations now.

1093
00:49:00,166 --> 00:49:01,866
Come on. [laughs]

1094
00:49:01,866 --> 00:49:03,433
I bet you a million dollars

1095
00:49:03,433 --> 00:49:05,366
they give us Juneteenth

1096
00:49:05,366 --> 00:49:08,400
before they give us
reparations.

1097
00:49:08,400 --> 00:49:10,700
- Surprise!

1098
00:49:10,700 --> 00:49:13,766
- ♪ Happy birthday to me ♪
- ♪ Happy birthday to you ♪

1099
00:49:13,766 --> 00:49:17,100
- ♪ Happy birthday to me ♪
- ♪ Happy birthday to you ♪

1100
00:49:17,100 --> 00:49:21,100
all: ♪ Happy birthday,
dear Carlis ♪

1101
00:49:21,100 --> 00:49:24,633
- ♪ Happy birthday to me ♪
- ♪ Happy birthday to you ♪

1102
00:49:24,633 --> 00:49:26,200
- ♪ And many more ♪

1103
00:49:26,200 --> 00:49:27,366
- Yay! Whoo!

1104
00:49:27,366 --> 00:49:28,466
- You didn't tell me about

1105
00:49:28,466 --> 00:49:29,833
these fine young ladies
down here.

1106
00:49:29,833 --> 00:49:32,766
[laughter]

1107
00:49:32,766 --> 00:49:34,500
- Bless the hands up in spirit

1108
00:49:34,500 --> 00:49:36,300
and bless the people
who will receive it.

1109
00:49:36,300 --> 00:49:38,333
Please let all of the blessings
continue

1110
00:49:38,333 --> 00:49:40,466
for our health and our wealth,

1111
00:49:40,466 --> 00:49:42,733
and thank you for fellowship
and friendship.

1112
00:49:42,733 --> 00:49:45,300
Amen. Amen. Amen.
- Amen.

1113
00:49:45,300 --> 00:49:47,766
- Good bread, good meat,
good Lord, let's eat.

1114
00:49:47,766 --> 00:49:49,800
[laughter]

1115
00:49:51,766 --> 00:49:53,266
- Carlis...
- Hmm?

1116
00:49:53,266 --> 00:49:56,833
- Tell us the story
about your parents' house,

1117
00:49:56,833 --> 00:49:59,000
that they were--

1118
00:49:59,000 --> 00:50:01,600
they actually what--
they moved the street or...

1119
00:50:01,600 --> 00:50:02,666
- Yeah.

1120
00:50:02,666 --> 00:50:04,200
They tore the street
off the map.

1121
00:50:04,200 --> 00:50:05,533
It's no longer on the map.

1122
00:50:05,533 --> 00:50:08,233
They were building
those very expensive homes

1123
00:50:08,233 --> 00:50:11,333
up and down Central Park.

1124
00:50:11,333 --> 00:50:13,200
For some reason or another,
they didn't want--

1125
00:50:13,200 --> 00:50:15,933
they couldn't get
the value of their homes

1126
00:50:15,933 --> 00:50:17,900
if Black people
were living near them.

1127
00:50:19,666 --> 00:50:22,466
So the developers moved
all the Blacks out.

1128
00:50:22,466 --> 00:50:24,033
- Same as what's happening
right now.

1129
00:50:24,033 --> 00:50:25,466
- Right, and I think

1130
00:50:25,466 --> 00:50:26,833
that's one reason
why my grandfather

1131
00:50:26,833 --> 00:50:28,600
turned to alcohol,

1132
00:50:28,600 --> 00:50:30,533
because he could not
hold his head up

1133
00:50:30,533 --> 00:50:32,000
in front of his own family.

1134
00:50:32,000 --> 00:50:34,133
You cannot pay
my grandfather back.

1135
00:50:34,133 --> 00:50:35,300
He's dead.

1136
00:50:35,300 --> 00:50:37,233
But we descendants,

1137
00:50:37,233 --> 00:50:40,800
we survived
without any assistance

1138
00:50:40,800 --> 00:50:42,400
from the city of Evanston.

1139
00:50:42,400 --> 00:50:44,100
No banks, nothing.

1140
00:50:44,100 --> 00:50:46,633
Now give us what we're due.

1141
00:50:46,633 --> 00:50:48,366
- We need a cash payment.

1142
00:50:48,366 --> 00:50:51,066
Alderman Ruth Simmons said
that that's what

1143
00:50:51,066 --> 00:50:53,166
she was gonna give us
from the beginning.

1144
00:50:53,166 --> 00:50:54,900
- She knows.

1145
00:50:54,900 --> 00:50:58,833
She knows from firsthand
what happened.

1146
00:51:00,533 --> 00:51:02,700
And yet and still she does
nothing about it.

1147
00:51:02,700 --> 00:51:04,333
- So we have
a reparations bill,

1148
00:51:04,333 --> 00:51:06,466
and I thank her for that, okay?

1149
00:51:06,466 --> 00:51:09,233
But we are ready now
to go to the next step.

1150
00:51:09,233 --> 00:51:11,400
We're all in this
same boat together.

1151
00:51:11,400 --> 00:51:16,800
But every time we grab an oar,
you want to row against us.

1152
00:51:16,800 --> 00:51:19,866
Let's row together
in this community.

1153
00:51:19,866 --> 00:51:23,900
Let's build this country
as it was intended to be,

1154
00:51:23,900 --> 00:51:25,533
the city on the hill

1155
00:51:25,533 --> 00:51:27,566
that is a light
for the entire world.

1156
00:51:35,900 --> 00:51:39,433
- For the purpose of moving
this meeting forward,

1157
00:51:39,433 --> 00:51:42,466
do we have consensus on $25,000

1158
00:51:42,466 --> 00:51:47,166
for purchase of a new home
as the number up to?

1159
00:51:47,166 --> 00:51:49,666
- Yeah.
- I vote yes.

1160
00:51:49,666 --> 00:51:52,733
- Okay, so with that said,
I'm making a motion

1161
00:51:52,733 --> 00:51:59,733
that we extend the program
budget for housing to $400,000

1162
00:51:59,733 --> 00:52:01,700
for a total program budget.

1163
00:52:01,700 --> 00:52:03,766
- Mother?
- Alderman Braithwaite?

1164
00:52:03,766 --> 00:52:06,133
- [speaking indistinctly]
- Okay.

1165
00:52:06,133 --> 00:52:09,600
So with that said, staff,
we want to move forward

1166
00:52:09,600 --> 00:52:12,666
with a program budget of 400K

1167
00:52:12,666 --> 00:52:16,900
for purchase benefit
up to 25,000.

1168
00:52:16,900 --> 00:52:18,733
- I vote yes.
- Okay.

1169
00:52:18,733 --> 00:52:20,100
And with that,
do we have anyone

1170
00:52:20,100 --> 00:52:22,100
signed up for public comment?

1171
00:52:22,100 --> 00:52:24,000
- John, are you ready
to go next?

1172
00:52:24,000 --> 00:52:25,433
- I'm always ready.

1173
00:52:25,433 --> 00:52:28,166
$400,000
is not a lot of money.

1174
00:52:28,166 --> 00:52:31,000
$400,000 is not gonna go
too far.

1175
00:52:31,000 --> 00:52:33,400
But all the conversations
that I've been hearing,

1176
00:52:33,400 --> 00:52:36,633
it's not indicative
of reparation.

1177
00:52:36,633 --> 00:52:39,566
It's indicative of programs
that were already

1178
00:52:39,566 --> 00:52:42,000
previously in place
in other places.

1179
00:52:42,000 --> 00:52:43,300
If you're gonna do
reparations,

1180
00:52:43,300 --> 00:52:44,800
do reparations.

1181
00:52:44,800 --> 00:52:46,866
If you're gonna give people
money for reparations,

1182
00:52:46,866 --> 00:52:48,066
then you get them money

1183
00:52:48,066 --> 00:52:50,266
to repair the damage
that's done.

1184
00:52:50,266 --> 00:52:52,833
You don't give them money
and then demand

1185
00:52:52,833 --> 00:52:54,766
and tell them
what they can do with it.

1186
00:52:54,766 --> 00:52:56,400
Call a spade a spade.

1187
00:52:56,400 --> 00:52:58,333
And don't let them twist it
into something

1188
00:52:58,333 --> 00:53:01,600
that is other than
what it's represented to be,

1189
00:53:01,600 --> 00:53:02,900
because then the backlash

1190
00:53:02,900 --> 00:53:05,933
is gonna be on you later on.

1191
00:53:11,833 --> 00:53:13,466
- Thank you all for coming.

1192
00:53:13,466 --> 00:53:16,133
And with that said,
Alderman Rainey,

1193
00:53:16,133 --> 00:53:18,966
if you don't have
any final comment,

1194
00:53:18,966 --> 00:53:22,200
you could move adjournment.

1195
00:53:22,200 --> 00:53:23,833
- I move adjournment.

1196
00:53:23,833 --> 00:53:26,066
- I second. Thank you all.

1197
00:53:26,066 --> 00:53:27,466
- Bye.

1198
00:53:51,266 --> 00:53:52,533
- I'm good.

1199
00:53:52,533 --> 00:53:55,233
Are you dressed and ready
to go to graduation?

1200
00:53:59,833 --> 00:54:01,933
Do you have
a graduation outfit on now?

1201
00:54:01,933 --> 00:54:04,633
It's a special day, baby.

1202
00:54:06,366 --> 00:54:09,266
It's always tough
to end with a, you know,

1203
00:54:09,266 --> 00:54:10,866
"This isn't reparation."

1204
00:54:10,866 --> 00:54:12,833
Because it is.

1205
00:54:12,833 --> 00:54:18,133
Any direct benefit
to address the damages

1206
00:54:18,133 --> 00:54:21,333
to a targeted community
is repair.

1207
00:54:21,333 --> 00:54:24,433
And that's what it is
on a local level.

1208
00:54:24,433 --> 00:54:26,333
But I also feel
the frustrations

1209
00:54:26,333 --> 00:54:29,833
of a resident that says
this isn't reparations.

1210
00:54:29,833 --> 00:54:30,966
It's not enough.

1211
00:54:30,966 --> 00:54:32,666
You know,
I appreciate your effort.

1212
00:54:32,666 --> 00:54:36,166
I--I respect and understand
their frustrations,

1213
00:54:36,166 --> 00:54:38,966
and for me that's frustrating,
because I want to do more.

1214
00:54:42,000 --> 00:54:44,200
Are you ready?
- Look.

1215
00:54:44,200 --> 00:54:45,666
- Perfect.

1216
00:54:46,466 --> 00:54:48,033
[laughs]

1217
00:54:48,033 --> 00:54:49,266
Yay, Bailee!

1218
00:54:49,266 --> 00:54:50,833
- [laughs]

1219
00:54:50,833 --> 00:54:52,033
- All right, get it on.

1220
00:54:52,033 --> 00:54:53,033
Turn it on.

1221
00:54:53,033 --> 00:54:54,433
- Okay.

1222
00:54:54,433 --> 00:54:55,833
- I'll tell you right now,
I'm just excited.

1223
00:54:55,833 --> 00:54:57,200
My daughter is graduating
from Northwestern.

1224
00:54:57,200 --> 00:54:58,800
She's going to Yale.

1225
00:54:58,800 --> 00:55:02,100
And I'm just going to leave
my work for a little while

1226
00:55:02,100 --> 00:55:03,766
and go celebrate Bailee.

1227
00:55:05,000 --> 00:55:06,666
- So you know
this is just gonna be

1228
00:55:06,666 --> 00:55:08,400
the president and the mayor.

1229
00:55:08,400 --> 00:55:09,400
- That's fine.

1230
00:55:09,400 --> 00:55:10,600
I don't care.

1231
00:55:10,600 --> 00:55:14,266
It is Bailee Rue graduation.

1232
00:55:14,266 --> 00:55:16,033
Okay, go out there
and walk in here.

1233
00:55:16,033 --> 00:55:18,700
- Oh, my God, seriously?
- Go on. Yeah, seriously.

1234
00:55:18,700 --> 00:55:20,733
[chuckling]

1235
00:55:23,900 --> 00:55:24,933
- Oh, my God.

1236
00:55:24,933 --> 00:55:26,533
- Go around the corner.

1237
00:55:26,533 --> 00:55:29,433
["Pomp and Circumstance"
playing]

1238
00:55:29,433 --> 00:55:31,566
Okay, Bailee.

1239
00:55:31,566 --> 00:55:33,833
- Mother.

1240
00:55:33,833 --> 00:55:36,300
- Yay, Bailee!
- Yay!

1241
00:55:36,300 --> 00:55:38,266
Yay! [laughs]

1242
00:55:38,266 --> 00:55:41,000
- Yay!
- Yay!

1243
00:55:41,000 --> 00:55:42,300
Have a seat.

1244
00:55:42,300 --> 00:55:43,300
- Now I sit.

1245
00:55:43,300 --> 00:55:44,766
- Now you sit.

1246
00:55:44,766 --> 00:55:46,500
♪ ♪

1247
00:55:46,500 --> 00:55:48,166
And this just plays
until it starts,

1248
00:55:48,166 --> 00:55:50,133
'cause that's what you
would be doing.

1249
00:55:50,133 --> 00:55:51,566
- Yeah, we'd be walking in.

1250
00:55:51,566 --> 00:55:52,666
- See?

1251
00:55:52,666 --> 00:55:54,500
- I'm a bit underwhelmed
right now.

1252
00:55:54,500 --> 00:55:55,900
- [laughs]

1253
00:55:55,900 --> 00:56:02,866
♪ ♪

1254
00:56:02,866 --> 00:56:05,866
[mellow music]

1255
00:56:05,866 --> 00:56:08,566
[laughter]

1256
00:56:08,566 --> 00:56:09,766
♪ ♪

1257
00:56:09,766 --> 00:56:11,533
- Where you trying to go
on this little bike?

1258
00:56:11,533 --> 00:56:18,566
♪ ♪

1259
00:56:30,133 --> 00:56:32,600
- Tonight, video has surfaced
of an African American man

1260
00:56:32,600 --> 00:56:35,533
being chased down and killed
in a Georgia community.

1261
00:56:35,533 --> 00:56:38,233
His family says
he was just out jogging.

1262
00:56:38,233 --> 00:56:40,400
- Breonna Taylor,
the 26-year-old

1263
00:56:40,400 --> 00:56:41,966
Louisville first responder,

1264
00:56:41,966 --> 00:56:45,533
shot eight times
and killed by police.

1265
00:56:45,533 --> 00:56:48,200
- This is 46-year-old
George Floyd.

1266
00:56:48,200 --> 00:56:52,300
He is the man who died
in police custody on Monday.

1267
00:56:52,300 --> 00:56:54,533
- Over the last several hours,
the situation here

1268
00:56:54,533 --> 00:56:56,033
has really deteriorated.

1269
00:56:56,033 --> 00:56:58,266
Police started pushing
and clearing out the street.

1270
00:56:58,266 --> 00:56:59,933
[tense music]

1271
00:56:59,933 --> 00:57:02,000
- Black Lives Matter!

1272
00:57:02,000 --> 00:57:03,600
all: Black Lives Matter!

1273
00:57:03,600 --> 00:57:05,333
- I am not okay.

1274
00:57:05,333 --> 00:57:11,500
We're experiencing the trauma
of racial terror

1275
00:57:11,500 --> 00:57:15,966
and Black public execution.

1276
00:57:15,966 --> 00:57:21,100
And people hurting and dying

1277
00:57:21,100 --> 00:57:23,100
and grief.

1278
00:57:23,100 --> 00:57:24,633
all: Hey, hey, ho, ho,

1279
00:57:24,633 --> 00:57:26,900
these racist cops
have got to go!

1280
00:57:26,900 --> 00:57:28,833
Hey, hey, ho, ho,

1281
00:57:28,833 --> 00:57:30,933
these racist cops
have got to go!

1282
00:57:30,933 --> 00:57:33,100
Hey, hey, ho, ho,

1283
00:57:33,100 --> 00:57:34,933
these racist cops
have got to go!

1284
00:57:34,933 --> 00:57:36,766
Hey, hey, ho, ho,

1285
00:57:36,766 --> 00:57:38,966
these racist cops
have got to go!

1286
00:57:38,966 --> 00:57:41,033
Hey, hey, ho, ho!

1287
00:57:41,033 --> 00:57:44,600
- Let me tell you,
justice is just the minimum.

1288
00:57:44,600 --> 00:57:47,233
We have had
chattel enslavement,

1289
00:57:47,233 --> 00:57:49,200
Jim Crow redlining,

1290
00:57:49,200 --> 00:57:52,333
police terror now
we're dealing with today.

1291
00:57:52,333 --> 00:57:54,566
It is genocide
is what is happening

1292
00:57:54,566 --> 00:57:57,666
to our Black people
in this nation.

1293
00:57:57,666 --> 00:58:00,733
The ally community,
thank you for being here,

1294
00:58:00,733 --> 00:58:02,833
being bold, but it's not enough

1295
00:58:02,833 --> 00:58:06,066
that you come to these places
and you stand here.

1296
00:58:06,066 --> 00:58:09,933
You must go to your own places,
and you must raise your voice

1297
00:58:09,933 --> 00:58:12,966
in the same manner,
with the same energy

1298
00:58:12,966 --> 00:58:15,266
in your private spaces!

1299
00:58:15,266 --> 00:58:17,133
Do the right thing!

1300
00:58:17,133 --> 00:58:19,300
[cheers and applause]

1301
00:58:19,300 --> 00:58:20,900
- The ground shifted.

1302
00:58:20,900 --> 00:58:23,533
There was COVID,
just shutting everything down,

1303
00:58:23,533 --> 00:58:27,000
and suddenly,
there was Ahmaud Arbery.

1304
00:58:27,000 --> 00:58:28,600
And then
there was Breonna Taylor.

1305
00:58:28,600 --> 00:58:29,766
Then there was George Floyd.

1306
00:58:29,766 --> 00:58:32,000
There was so much going on

1307
00:58:32,000 --> 00:58:35,700
to do with race in this country

1308
00:58:35,700 --> 00:58:40,533
that it has left me spinning.

1309
00:58:41,566 --> 00:58:45,833
Being white, being a woman,
and being middle aged,

1310
00:58:45,833 --> 00:58:50,033
I don't trust my voice
to be a legitimate advocate.

1311
00:58:50,033 --> 00:58:52,766
I mean, I hope I am.

1312
00:58:52,766 --> 00:58:54,966
Now people want to know more,

1313
00:58:54,966 --> 00:58:58,900
and I don't know
that I am qualified.

1314
00:59:00,733 --> 00:59:03,800
Being white, it is so easy
to put up a yard sign

1315
00:59:03,800 --> 00:59:06,100
and not really even
understand the issues

1316
00:59:06,100 --> 00:59:09,233
or understand
what that really means.

1317
00:59:09,233 --> 00:59:11,933
That can really lead
to complacency

1318
00:59:11,933 --> 00:59:14,033
and that you think
you've done your job.

1319
00:59:15,500 --> 00:59:17,966
You can't abdicate
responsibility.

1320
00:59:17,966 --> 00:59:23,533
We white people are the people
who have to write the check.

1321
00:59:23,533 --> 00:59:27,433
You know,
my heart supports it.

1322
00:59:27,433 --> 00:59:29,866
- Now in Evanston, a battle

1323
00:59:29,866 --> 00:59:31,866
over the city's
reparations plan.

1324
00:59:31,866 --> 00:59:34,066
- Lots in the community
are questioning why the money

1325
00:59:34,066 --> 00:59:35,333
goes directly to the banks,

1326
00:59:35,333 --> 00:59:37,433
why people can't have
a cash payment.

1327
00:59:37,433 --> 00:59:39,366
- Claiming
that is was nothing more

1328
00:59:39,366 --> 00:59:41,100
than a housing program.

1329
00:59:41,100 --> 00:59:43,666
- The Evanston city council
is set to vote Monday

1330
00:59:43,666 --> 00:59:46,633
on a bill to give reparations
to Black residents,

1331
00:59:46,633 --> 00:59:50,333
but some residents are saying,
"Not so fast."

1332
00:59:50,333 --> 00:59:51,700
- Good morning, everyone.

1333
00:59:51,700 --> 00:59:53,233
My name is Sebastian Nalls,

1334
00:59:53,233 --> 00:59:54,966
and I'm one of the organizers

1335
00:59:54,966 --> 00:59:58,433
with Evanston Rejects
Racist Reparations.

1336
00:59:58,433 --> 01:00:01,933
This program, as it is,
is incomplete,

1337
01:00:01,933 --> 01:00:04,900
and it makes no sense
to go forward with it.

1338
01:00:04,900 --> 01:00:09,366
- How divisive this Evanston
reparations bill is becoming.

1339
01:00:09,366 --> 01:00:11,833
We ask that everyone just wait.

1340
01:00:11,833 --> 01:00:13,466
Go back to the drawing board.

1341
01:00:13,466 --> 01:00:15,866
We implore the Evanston public
to join us

1342
01:00:15,866 --> 01:00:17,866
in resisting this initiative.

1343
01:00:17,866 --> 01:00:21,833
- Reparations are meant
to close the racial wealth gap.

1344
01:00:21,833 --> 01:00:24,933
The program that the city
of Evanston is offering

1345
01:00:24,933 --> 01:00:27,600
does not do that at all.

1346
01:00:27,600 --> 01:00:30,366
We want a real program.

1347
01:00:30,366 --> 01:00:33,400
We don't want a program
that's a fraud.

1348
01:00:33,400 --> 01:00:35,233
This is important.

1349
01:00:35,233 --> 01:00:37,100
They say in America

1350
01:00:37,100 --> 01:00:39,633
that only one in six
white people

1351
01:00:39,633 --> 01:00:41,700
support reparations.

1352
01:00:41,700 --> 01:00:45,500
The fact that so many
white people in Evanston

1353
01:00:45,500 --> 01:00:47,300
support this...
- [laughs]

1354
01:00:47,300 --> 01:00:48,966
- That should tell you
it's not reparations.

1355
01:00:48,966 --> 01:00:50,833
- That's the warning.

1356
01:00:50,833 --> 01:00:53,700
- Just based--I'm just talking
about the data.

1357
01:00:53,700 --> 01:00:55,433
You know, what is happening now

1358
01:00:55,433 --> 01:00:59,333
is we're gonna recycle
programming

1359
01:00:59,333 --> 01:01:01,933
that we've already done
for decades

1360
01:01:01,933 --> 01:01:04,800
and decades
that hasn't helped

1361
01:01:04,800 --> 01:01:06,933
to close the racial wealth gap.

1362
01:01:06,933 --> 01:01:08,566
- Now, when you're
incepting something

1363
01:01:08,566 --> 01:01:09,933
that you're trying
to bring out,

1364
01:01:09,933 --> 01:01:12,166
it has to be near perfect.

1365
01:01:12,166 --> 01:01:16,433
And this is just
a bunch of sloppy crap

1366
01:01:16,433 --> 01:01:18,400
that they have put together.

1367
01:01:18,400 --> 01:01:20,266
They're literally throwing it
against the wall

1368
01:01:20,266 --> 01:01:23,433
to see what will stick
and what will not stick.

1369
01:01:23,433 --> 01:01:25,700
- There are possible
legal ramifications

1370
01:01:25,700 --> 01:01:27,466
where the whole program
in and of itself

1371
01:01:27,466 --> 01:01:29,200
could get thrown out.

1372
01:01:29,200 --> 01:01:30,666
And that itself could shut down

1373
01:01:30,666 --> 01:01:32,766
the reparations movement
as a whole.

1374
01:01:32,766 --> 01:01:36,200
- Whatever the vote tomorrow,
it's not over.

1375
01:01:36,200 --> 01:01:37,833
It's just beginning.

1376
01:01:37,833 --> 01:01:43,433
And we are going to follow them

1377
01:01:43,433 --> 01:01:45,933
and this process in Evanston.

1378
01:01:45,933 --> 01:01:49,266
- My hope is, is that
some of these aldermen

1379
01:01:49,266 --> 01:01:52,133
will finally recognize, okay,

1380
01:01:52,133 --> 01:01:54,566
maybe this isn't
the right thing to do.

1381
01:01:57,366 --> 01:01:59,800
- I think what they're
offering us is an insult,

1382
01:01:59,800 --> 01:02:02,766
and we decided
elderly homeowners

1383
01:02:02,766 --> 01:02:05,433
should get the first
reparations.

1384
01:02:05,433 --> 01:02:08,033
That's gonna be spread
over a 10-year period.

1385
01:02:08,033 --> 01:02:11,666
And now the city of Evanston
is balking on that.

1386
01:02:11,666 --> 01:02:14,866
- The proposal,
as from what I understand it,

1387
01:02:14,866 --> 01:02:20,000
is they're trying to vote
for the first $400,000

1388
01:02:20,000 --> 01:02:23,100
to go for a housing program.

1389
01:02:23,100 --> 01:02:24,466
Not happening.

1390
01:02:24,466 --> 01:02:25,600
It should not be.

1391
01:02:25,600 --> 01:02:27,633
- Now's the time
for you to stand up

1392
01:02:27,633 --> 01:02:29,666
and show what you're about.

1393
01:02:29,666 --> 01:02:33,800
We hear what they say, okay,
we read what they put in paper.

1394
01:02:33,800 --> 01:02:37,600
But then I'll wait
to the vote, okay,

1395
01:02:37,600 --> 01:02:41,233
before I make any kind of
decision about the consistency

1396
01:02:41,233 --> 01:02:44,500
of Evanston
with saying one thing,

1397
01:02:44,500 --> 01:02:47,400
and then doing
totally the opposite

1398
01:02:47,400 --> 01:02:49,000
when it comes to application.

1399
01:02:49,000 --> 01:02:52,000
[tense music]

1400
01:02:52,000 --> 01:02:57,366
♪ ♪

1401
01:02:57,366 --> 01:03:01,933
- I had been really obsessed
with defending the case

1402
01:03:01,933 --> 01:03:03,700
for reparations
on a local level.

1403
01:03:03,700 --> 01:03:05,900
And it was just nonstop.

1404
01:03:05,900 --> 01:03:07,500
- Calling the meeting
to order.

1405
01:03:07,500 --> 01:03:09,233
Alderman Simmons?
- Aye.

1406
01:03:09,233 --> 01:03:10,933
It was sleepless nights.

1407
01:03:10,933 --> 01:03:13,166
It was always doing
more research.

1408
01:03:13,166 --> 01:03:18,100
And I did that while managing
the rest of my life

1409
01:03:18,100 --> 01:03:20,100
being the alderman
of the Fifth Ward.

1410
01:03:20,100 --> 01:03:22,433
Technically, it's part time.

1411
01:03:22,433 --> 01:03:26,266
I can't work
40, 60 hours a week

1412
01:03:26,266 --> 01:03:28,266
for $15,000 a year.

1413
01:03:28,266 --> 01:03:30,066
I can't do it.

1414
01:03:30,066 --> 01:03:33,200
My first responsibility
is to my children,

1415
01:03:33,200 --> 01:03:39,733
and I have sacrificed a lot
being the alderman.

1416
01:03:39,733 --> 01:03:43,433
And it's been uncomfortable
for my family.

1417
01:03:43,433 --> 01:03:44,966
My daughter has not been able

1418
01:03:44,966 --> 01:03:47,100
to even walk the dog
in peace sometimes.

1419
01:03:47,100 --> 01:03:52,000
People have intimidated her.

1420
01:03:54,733 --> 01:03:56,600
It's been a lot of stress
on my mother

1421
01:03:56,600 --> 01:04:00,966
to see her only child
treated so cruelly.

1422
01:04:00,966 --> 01:04:02,333
And then just the time.

1423
01:04:02,333 --> 01:04:04,633
Because of the way
that I serve,

1424
01:04:04,633 --> 01:04:07,033
I don't know how to say,

1425
01:04:07,033 --> 01:04:11,433
"I can't help you right now,
homeless family."

1426
01:04:11,433 --> 01:04:12,866
You know?

1427
01:04:12,866 --> 01:04:14,300
"Find another way."

1428
01:04:14,300 --> 01:04:18,766
I only know how to find
a solution for them.

1429
01:04:18,766 --> 01:04:20,366
I only know how
to do everything

1430
01:04:20,366 --> 01:04:26,733
that I can to help them.

1431
01:04:27,466 --> 01:04:30,333
- And while the whole nation
is watching,

1432
01:04:30,333 --> 01:04:33,566
there are people that are
waiting for this to fail.

1433
01:04:33,566 --> 01:04:35,666
- Because I'm not able
to balance it,

1434
01:04:35,666 --> 01:04:37,700
I'm not able to turn
the service off,

1435
01:04:37,700 --> 01:04:41,300
so I have just committed
to the balance of this term.

1436
01:04:41,300 --> 01:04:44,433
And then after that,
I'll have to heal

1437
01:04:44,433 --> 01:04:47,866
and repair damages
that have been done to my life

1438
01:04:47,866 --> 01:04:49,600
and to my family.

1439
01:04:49,600 --> 01:04:54,200
- But for our Black residents,
I just ask for your patience.

1440
01:04:54,200 --> 01:05:01,300
♪ ♪

1441
01:05:03,333 --> 01:05:04,366
- Good evening, everyone.

1442
01:05:04,366 --> 01:05:05,533
I am Mayor Hagerty,

1443
01:05:05,533 --> 01:05:06,833
mayor of the city of Evanston.

1444
01:05:06,833 --> 01:05:09,666
It is Monday, March 22, 2021,

1445
01:05:09,666 --> 01:05:12,000
and I call this public hearing
to order.

1446
01:05:12,000 --> 01:05:13,300
I'm now gonna open it,

1447
01:05:13,300 --> 01:05:15,000
and we'll start
with Alderperson Simmons.

1448
01:05:15,000 --> 01:05:18,433
- Thank you all for
establishing this path forward

1449
01:05:18,433 --> 01:05:20,933
to reparations in Evanston.

1450
01:05:20,933 --> 01:05:23,666
The reparations subcommittee
recommends city council

1451
01:05:23,666 --> 01:05:28,633
adopt Resolution 37-R-21
to authorize the implementation

1452
01:05:28,633 --> 01:05:31,833
of the local reparation
restorative housing program,

1453
01:05:31,833 --> 01:05:35,300
and the initial program budget
of $400,000.

1454
01:05:35,300 --> 01:05:37,766
I move approval. 
- Second.

1455
01:05:37,766 --> 01:05:40,400
- We are now gonna move
to public comment.

1456
01:05:40,400 --> 01:05:41,533
Illinois--

1457
01:05:41,533 --> 01:05:42,566
- Did you see
who's in the meeting?

1458
01:05:42,566 --> 01:05:44,800
- Dr. Sandy Darity first.

1459
01:05:44,800 --> 01:05:46,566
- Oh, he's--he's anti.

1460
01:05:46,566 --> 01:05:48,966
- The Evanston plan does
very little

1461
01:05:48,966 --> 01:05:52,500
about the equity gap produced
by segregation and redlining.

1462
01:05:52,500 --> 01:05:55,066
- It perpetuated
the systemic racism

1463
01:05:55,066 --> 01:05:56,933
and added age discrimination.

1464
01:05:56,933 --> 01:05:58,400
- We want cash payments.

1465
01:05:58,400 --> 01:06:00,333
Robin promised us that.

1466
01:06:00,333 --> 01:06:03,166
- And the push forward appears
to be more oriented

1467
01:06:03,166 --> 01:06:05,600
towards photo ops
and marketing

1468
01:06:05,600 --> 01:06:08,200
something that simply
isn't true.

1469
01:06:08,200 --> 01:06:10,566
- First, I want to support
the passage.

1470
01:06:10,566 --> 01:06:15,100
I also think we should have
on the agenda cash payments.

1471
01:06:15,100 --> 01:06:16,300
- [laughs]

1472
01:06:16,300 --> 01:06:17,933
I can't tell
if he was for or against it.

1473
01:06:17,933 --> 01:06:20,033
- Don't slam the door
on something

1474
01:06:20,033 --> 01:06:21,900
that can be positive
for our community.

1475
01:06:21,900 --> 01:06:23,166
- That's right, Miss Adams.

1476
01:06:23,166 --> 01:06:25,266
- Yes, it's small,
but it's a start,

1477
01:06:25,266 --> 01:06:27,133
and we must start somewhere.

1478
01:06:27,133 --> 01:06:30,000
It is a sign that Evanston
cares about families

1479
01:06:30,000 --> 01:06:31,300
that look like mine.

1480
01:06:31,300 --> 01:06:34,300
- If you vote no tonight,

1481
01:06:34,300 --> 01:06:37,100
you will be on the wrong side
of history.

1482
01:06:37,100 --> 01:06:39,100
- If we do not
step forward now,

1483
01:06:39,100 --> 01:06:42,733
all of these other reparations
programs in the United States

1484
01:06:42,733 --> 01:06:44,733
will probably suffer as well.

1485
01:06:44,733 --> 01:06:46,566
- But most of all,
we in Evanston

1486
01:06:46,566 --> 01:06:49,266
are leading the way
to heal a nation.

1487
01:06:49,266 --> 01:06:50,633
- I love her.

1488
01:06:50,633 --> 01:06:52,800
- Thank you
to Alderman Rue Simmons.

1489
01:06:52,800 --> 01:06:54,333
Not only did you
push us forward,

1490
01:06:54,333 --> 01:06:56,966
but you made us believe
we could do it.

1491
01:06:56,966 --> 01:07:00,133
I think this step is gonna
pull all of America forward.

1492
01:07:00,133 --> 01:07:02,033
- City clerk,
could you please take the roll

1493
01:07:02,033 --> 01:07:04,166
on this historic vote tonight?

1494
01:07:04,166 --> 01:07:06,533
- Alderman Fisk.
- Aye.

1495
01:07:06,533 --> 01:07:09,166
- Alderman Braithwaite.
- Aye.

1496
01:07:09,166 --> 01:07:11,366
- Alderman Wynne.
- Aye.

1497
01:07:11,366 --> 01:07:13,433
- Alderman Wilson.
- Aye.

1498
01:07:13,433 --> 01:07:15,500
- Alderman Simmons.
- Aye.

1499
01:07:15,500 --> 01:07:18,633
- Alderman Suffredin.
- Aye.

1500
01:07:18,633 --> 01:07:21,766
- Alderman Revelle.
- Aye.

1501
01:07:21,766 --> 01:07:25,733
- Alderman Rainey.
- Aye.

1502
01:07:25,733 --> 01:07:28,000
- And Alderman Fleming.

1503
01:07:28,000 --> 01:07:29,866
- No.

1504
01:07:29,866 --> 01:07:33,966
- All right,
so on a 8-to-1 vote,

1505
01:07:33,966 --> 01:07:37,533
the Evanston city council
approved adoption

1506
01:07:37,533 --> 01:07:40,766
of resolution
37-R-27 authorizing

1507
01:07:40,766 --> 01:07:42,600
the implementation
of the Evanston

1508
01:07:42,600 --> 01:07:44,666
local reparations program.

1509
01:07:44,666 --> 01:07:46,366
- Good job.

1510
01:07:46,366 --> 01:07:47,733
- [applauding]

1511
01:07:47,733 --> 01:07:48,966
- Thank you. Good night.

1512
01:07:48,966 --> 01:07:50,033
- Good night.
- Good night.

1513
01:07:50,033 --> 01:07:51,233
- Good night.

1514
01:07:51,233 --> 01:07:52,400
- Nice job.

1515
01:07:56,833 --> 01:07:58,066
- Congratulations to you.

1516
01:07:58,066 --> 01:07:59,133
- We did it.

1517
01:07:59,133 --> 01:08:00,200
It's happening.

1518
01:08:00,200 --> 01:08:01,266
- [crying] That's my baby.

1519
01:08:01,266 --> 01:08:02,933
- You okay, mother?

1520
01:08:02,933 --> 01:08:05,233
- That made me so happy.

1521
01:08:05,233 --> 01:08:06,700
- Yeah.

1522
01:08:06,700 --> 01:08:09,400
I wish we didn't have those
negative comments, though.

1523
01:08:09,400 --> 01:08:10,800
- You did a great job.

1524
01:08:10,800 --> 01:08:13,400
Congratulations to you.
- Mm-hmm.

1525
01:08:13,400 --> 01:08:14,633
- Congratulations to you.

1526
01:08:14,633 --> 01:08:17,533
- I'm so very proud.

1527
01:08:17,533 --> 01:08:19,933
She's been amazing
all her life.

1528
01:08:19,933 --> 01:08:25,733
This is just one more amazing
something from my daughter.

1529
01:08:25,733 --> 01:08:26,933
Yeah.

1530
01:08:26,933 --> 01:08:29,933
[soft music]

1531
01:08:29,933 --> 01:08:36,966
♪ ♪

1532
01:08:41,133 --> 01:08:44,100
- This week, Evanston,
Illinois, made history.

1533
01:08:44,100 --> 01:08:46,933
- The nation's first
government-backed reparations

1534
01:08:46,933 --> 01:08:49,466
initiative for Black Americans
was approved

1535
01:08:49,466 --> 01:08:51,766
this week
in Evanston, Illinois.

1536
01:08:51,766 --> 01:08:55,466
- In a near unanimous vote,
Evanston city council

1537
01:08:55,466 --> 01:08:59,400
voted to approve the first
installment of $400,000

1538
01:08:59,400 --> 01:09:02,633
to be distributed among
eligible Black households.

1539
01:09:02,633 --> 01:09:05,133
- The money can be used
for down payments,

1540
01:09:05,133 --> 01:09:08,500
mortgage payments, repairs,
or home improvements.

1541
01:09:08,500 --> 01:09:10,500
- Many hope
the historic program

1542
01:09:10,500 --> 01:09:13,833
will pave the way for more
reparations in other cities.

1543
01:09:13,833 --> 01:09:18,866
♪ ♪

1544
01:09:28,766 --> 01:09:31,733
- This is the international
headquarters.

1545
01:09:31,733 --> 01:09:33,733
But really it is
the headquarters.

1546
01:09:33,733 --> 01:09:36,833
It's just--it's just myself,
and most recently,

1547
01:09:36,833 --> 01:09:38,800
we have an employee, Shawn.

1548
01:09:38,800 --> 01:09:42,366
I have launched a nonprofit
called First Repair.

1549
01:09:42,366 --> 01:09:45,666
"First" because we are
the first in the nation

1550
01:09:45,666 --> 01:09:48,966
to have a funded
reparation plan

1551
01:09:48,966 --> 01:09:52,166
with tangible steps
and measurable outcomes.

1552
01:09:52,166 --> 01:09:56,833
So this is the reception area.

1553
01:09:56,833 --> 01:10:00,466
It's Shawn's office,
and it's our conference room.

1554
01:10:00,466 --> 01:10:03,666
And here's our break room.

1555
01:10:03,666 --> 01:10:05,033
[laughs]

1556
01:10:05,033 --> 01:10:06,400
And then here's my office.

1557
01:10:06,400 --> 01:10:08,366
There's really nothing to it.

1558
01:10:08,366 --> 01:10:11,833
This is where I do my work
every day.

1559
01:10:11,833 --> 01:10:13,700
It's what I do full time now.

1560
01:10:13,700 --> 01:10:16,466
I retired this year
as alderman,

1561
01:10:16,466 --> 01:10:19,866
and now I'm able
to singularly focus

1562
01:10:19,866 --> 01:10:23,900
on reparations in Evanston
and beyond.

1563
01:10:23,900 --> 01:10:28,833
There has been great interest
in advancing reparations

1564
01:10:28,833 --> 01:10:31,166
beyond Evanston.

1565
01:10:31,166 --> 01:10:34,066
That passing vote
has set a precedent,

1566
01:10:34,066 --> 01:10:37,033
and it's shown a possibility
that others

1567
01:10:37,033 --> 01:10:39,033
are now looking to
as a reference, as,

1568
01:10:39,033 --> 01:10:40,800
"Okay, they did this
in Evanston.

1569
01:10:40,800 --> 01:10:42,166
We can do this here."

1570
01:10:42,166 --> 01:10:49,166
♪ ♪

1571
01:10:49,166 --> 01:10:50,400
- Good morning.

1572
01:10:50,400 --> 01:10:51,400
Good morning.
Good morning.

1573
01:10:51,400 --> 01:10:53,533
Good morning. Good morning.

1574
01:10:53,533 --> 01:10:56,366
Thank you all for your
sponsorship on H.R. 40.

1575
01:10:56,366 --> 01:10:57,533
We're so excited.
- I'm so excited.

1576
01:10:57,533 --> 01:10:58,533
- Thank you.

1577
01:10:58,533 --> 01:11:00,466
Thank you.

1578
01:11:00,466 --> 01:11:02,866
This idea of H.R. 40

1579
01:11:02,866 --> 01:11:06,433
was to finally have us
in dignity,

1580
01:11:06,433 --> 01:11:08,366
and have
the American people say,

1581
01:11:08,366 --> 01:11:10,533
"That's the right thing to do."

1582
01:11:10,533 --> 01:11:12,200
Good morning, Mr. Chairman.
- How are you?

1583
01:11:12,200 --> 01:11:16,433
- I can't thank you enough
for this markup.

1584
01:11:16,433 --> 01:11:18,266
- Today is going to be
a long, contentious one.

1585
01:11:18,266 --> 01:11:19,633
- Well, I'm ready for this.

1586
01:11:19,633 --> 01:11:21,033
I feel a moment in history.

1587
01:11:21,033 --> 01:11:22,066
I'm excited.

1588
01:11:22,066 --> 01:11:23,566
Let's do this, Mr. Chairman.

1589
01:11:23,566 --> 01:11:25,633
All right. [laughs]

1590
01:11:25,633 --> 01:11:26,800
[gavel clacks]

1591
01:11:26,800 --> 01:11:28,966
- I now call up H.R. 40,

1592
01:11:28,966 --> 01:11:30,500
the Commission
to Study and Develop

1593
01:11:30,500 --> 01:11:33,233
Reparation Proposals
for African Americans Act.

1594
01:11:33,233 --> 01:11:35,966
This legislation
is long overdue.

1595
01:11:35,966 --> 01:11:39,200
- Mr. Chairman, I'm very
pleased to be able to speak

1596
01:11:39,200 --> 01:11:43,000
in support of my legislation
H.R. 40, which I introduced,

1597
01:11:43,000 --> 01:11:44,866
that establishes
a commission to study

1598
01:11:44,866 --> 01:11:46,666
and develop
reparation proposals

1599
01:11:46,666 --> 01:11:48,266
for African Americans.

1600
01:11:48,266 --> 01:11:50,233
It was historic.

1601
01:11:50,233 --> 01:11:54,466
The first time the bill ever
got to the moment

1602
01:11:54,466 --> 01:11:57,100
of something
that is so integral

1603
01:11:57,100 --> 01:12:01,033
to the process of governance,

1604
01:12:01,033 --> 01:12:02,266
which is called a markup,

1605
01:12:02,266 --> 01:12:04,800
which means the bill
is on its way

1606
01:12:04,800 --> 01:12:07,300
to a possible vote on the floor
and to become law.

1607
01:12:07,300 --> 01:12:10,300
And here we are today,
marking up for the first time

1608
01:12:10,300 --> 01:12:13,200
in the history
of the United States of America

1609
01:12:13,200 --> 01:12:16,566
any legislation
that deals directly

1610
01:12:16,566 --> 01:12:20,633
with the years
and centuries of slavery.

1611
01:12:20,633 --> 01:12:23,133
- Look, everyone knows
how evil slavery was.

1612
01:12:23,133 --> 01:12:24,700
Wrong as wrong could be.

1613
01:12:24,700 --> 01:12:26,966
But this is not--this--

1614
01:12:26,966 --> 01:12:30,333
this is not--
not what we want to be passing.

1615
01:12:30,333 --> 01:12:33,300
- Reparation is divisive.

1616
01:12:33,300 --> 01:12:35,933
It speaks to the fact that we
are a hapless, hopeless race

1617
01:12:35,933 --> 01:12:37,800
that never did anything
but wait for white people

1618
01:12:37,800 --> 01:12:39,300
to show up and help us.

1619
01:12:39,300 --> 01:12:40,600
And it's a falsehood.

1620
01:12:40,600 --> 01:12:43,266
- I would offer that I think

1621
01:12:43,266 --> 01:12:46,333
this is the wrong path
for the future of our nation.

1622
01:12:46,333 --> 01:12:47,966
And I think
that is the problem here.

1623
01:12:47,966 --> 01:12:50,033
And I think this is not
the direction we want

1624
01:12:50,033 --> 01:12:51,633
to carry our country forward.

1625
01:12:51,633 --> 01:12:53,033
- The opposition was,

1626
01:12:53,033 --> 01:12:56,000
"That happened then.
This is now."

1627
01:12:56,000 --> 01:12:58,800
A very weak argument.

1628
01:12:58,800 --> 01:13:00,866
Shallow argument.

1629
01:13:00,866 --> 01:13:06,400
A total refusal to really see
slavery for what it was.

1630
01:13:06,400 --> 01:13:07,833
It was a crime.

1631
01:13:07,833 --> 01:13:10,033
But no one paid the price.

1632
01:13:10,033 --> 01:13:13,566
H.R. 40
is a concentrated effort

1633
01:13:13,566 --> 01:13:17,166
to right a wrong,
and to do it with dignity

1634
01:13:17,166 --> 01:13:19,400
and study and respect.

1635
01:13:19,400 --> 01:13:21,466
I can't imagine why
any one of us

1636
01:13:21,466 --> 01:13:23,233
would not vote for H.R. 40,

1637
01:13:23,233 --> 01:13:24,333
the Commission to Study

1638
01:13:24,333 --> 01:13:25,633
and Develop
Reparation Proposals,

1639
01:13:25,633 --> 01:13:29,866
and I ask my colleagues
to vote yes on this bill.

1640
01:13:29,866 --> 01:13:31,633
- Reporting quorum
being present,

1641
01:13:31,633 --> 01:13:33,400
the question is on the motion
to report the bill

1642
01:13:33,400 --> 01:13:36,033
H.R. 40 as amended favorably
to the House.

1643
01:13:36,033 --> 01:13:38,400
Those in favor,
respond by saying aye.

1644
01:13:38,400 --> 01:13:39,433
- Aye.
- Aye.

1645
01:13:39,433 --> 01:13:41,366
- Those no.
- No.

1646
01:13:41,366 --> 01:13:42,600
- The ayes have it,
and the bill

1647
01:13:42,600 --> 01:13:43,900
is ordered
and reported favorably.

1648
01:13:43,900 --> 01:13:45,500
- Good job, Senate majority.
- Thank you.

1649
01:13:45,500 --> 01:13:47,033
- Thank you.

1650
01:13:47,033 --> 01:13:49,000
I had a great weight
on my shoulders

1651
01:13:49,000 --> 01:13:50,666
that was lifted a little bit.

1652
01:13:50,666 --> 01:13:54,466
It was so emotional to see

1653
01:13:54,466 --> 01:13:56,733
that the journey
had made a leap.

1654
01:13:56,733 --> 01:13:58,566
♪ ♪

1655
01:13:58,566 --> 01:14:01,966
What I want to see happen
is that we move the bill

1656
01:14:01,966 --> 01:14:04,733
to the floor, and it's urgent
that it gets passed.

1657
01:14:04,733 --> 01:14:07,166
And my commitment is,
it must be passed.

1658
01:14:07,166 --> 01:14:08,333
There must be a commission.

1659
01:14:08,333 --> 01:14:09,700
I'm pinching myself to see

1660
01:14:09,700 --> 01:14:11,533
if this is really happening.

1661
01:14:11,533 --> 01:14:17,066
H.R. 40 is the significant,
singular affirmation

1662
01:14:17,066 --> 01:14:19,833
of us in our journey.

1663
01:14:19,833 --> 01:14:25,166
This place called America
is as much a part of us

1664
01:14:25,166 --> 01:14:26,933
and we are a part of it.

1665
01:14:26,933 --> 01:14:30,966
♪ ♪

1666
01:14:32,466 --> 01:14:35,066
- The purpose of this meeting
is to get you prepared

1667
01:14:35,066 --> 01:14:38,000
for when the release
of the application

1668
01:14:38,000 --> 01:14:40,366
occurs on September 21.

1669
01:14:41,033 --> 01:14:43,966
The idea is that hopefully
we can get funding

1670
01:14:43,966 --> 01:14:46,900
out the door disbursed
by the end of November,

1671
01:14:46,900 --> 01:14:49,000
beginning of December.

1672
01:14:49,000 --> 01:14:51,666
- The kitchen.
I need the kitchen--

1673
01:14:51,666 --> 01:14:53,733
those are the original
cabinets,

1674
01:14:53,733 --> 01:14:54,833
and they're dry rotted.

1675
01:14:54,833 --> 01:14:56,566
They're just falling apart.

1676
01:14:56,566 --> 01:14:59,366
This is falling down
in the bottom there.

1677
01:15:00,233 --> 01:15:02,233
The drawers is falling apart.

1678
01:15:03,033 --> 01:15:06,200
See the dry rot up there.

1679
01:15:06,200 --> 01:15:07,733
The cupboards is falling.

1680
01:15:07,733 --> 01:15:10,166
Disconnected up there.

1681
01:15:10,166 --> 01:15:11,333
The floor.

1682
01:15:11,333 --> 01:15:14,500
That's what--see the floor?

1683
01:15:14,500 --> 01:15:17,200
- Well, we're going to go
down to Fleetwood-Jourdain,

1684
01:15:17,200 --> 01:15:19,566
and we're going to fill out
an application

1685
01:15:19,566 --> 01:15:21,800
for the housing
restoration program

1686
01:15:21,800 --> 01:15:24,200
for the first phase
of reparations

1687
01:15:24,200 --> 01:15:25,866
for Blacks in Evanston

1688
01:15:25,866 --> 01:15:29,333
and hopefully get some
compensation for my mom.

1689
01:15:29,333 --> 01:15:32,633
♪ ♪

1690
01:15:32,633 --> 01:15:34,400
- Miss Carmen will help you
right over here.

1691
01:15:34,400 --> 01:15:38,566
- Oh. Hi.
- Hi.

1692
01:15:38,566 --> 01:15:41,233
Do you have any
documentation with you?

1693
01:15:41,233 --> 01:15:47,866
- Yeah, she got the closing
and got the trust deed.

1694
01:15:47,866 --> 01:15:54,300
♪ ♪

1695
01:15:54,300 --> 01:15:56,166
- Do you have your
driver's license with you?

1696
01:15:56,166 --> 01:15:57,633
- I do.
- Or state ID?

1697
01:15:57,633 --> 01:15:59,166
Okay, I'll take anything.

1698
01:15:59,166 --> 01:16:03,466
- I have a obituary that has
my mother's name listed in it.

1699
01:16:03,466 --> 01:16:07,800
So that was here 1947,
his Evanston senior year

1700
01:16:07,800 --> 01:16:09,266
in high school.

1701
01:16:09,266 --> 01:16:11,400
- Okay.
- Yearbook, and there he is.

1702
01:16:11,400 --> 01:16:12,566
- Oh, nice.

1703
01:16:12,566 --> 01:16:14,066
- So it shows
that he was a graduate

1704
01:16:14,066 --> 01:16:17,066
of Foster School and Evanston
Township High School.

1705
01:16:17,066 --> 01:16:18,066
- Okay.

1706
01:16:18,066 --> 01:16:19,966
- And you are all set.

1707
01:16:19,966 --> 01:16:22,033
Good luck.

1708
01:16:22,033 --> 01:16:23,866
- Well, thank you much.
You're a scholar and a saint.

1709
01:16:23,866 --> 01:16:25,900
- You're welcome.
No problem.

1710
01:16:27,033 --> 01:16:29,266
- Submitting, submitting.

1711
01:16:29,266 --> 01:16:31,966
[cheers and applause]

1712
01:16:31,966 --> 01:16:34,800
- Good job. Awesome.
- Excellent.

1713
01:16:34,800 --> 01:16:36,800
Wonderful.
- Good job.

1714
01:16:36,800 --> 01:16:40,233
[laughter]
- Thank you.

1715
01:16:40,233 --> 01:16:41,233
- That's great.

1716
01:16:41,233 --> 01:16:44,933
♪ ♪

1717
01:16:44,933 --> 01:16:47,200
- My understanding
is that reparations

1718
01:16:47,200 --> 01:16:51,866
is an attempt
to repair the harm

1719
01:16:51,866 --> 01:16:53,966
that it's cost us economically.

1720
01:16:53,966 --> 01:16:55,400
When I started looking,

1721
01:16:55,400 --> 01:16:57,800
no, this is not the answer
to reparations

1722
01:16:57,800 --> 01:16:59,733
that we're approaching
in Evanston.

1723
01:16:59,733 --> 01:17:02,900
But the longest journey begins
with the first step.

1724
01:17:04,300 --> 01:17:05,966
Good morning.

1725
01:17:05,966 --> 01:17:07,800
Either you're part
of the solution,

1726
01:17:07,800 --> 01:17:10,000
or you're part of the problem.

1727
01:17:10,000 --> 01:17:12,100
I don't want to be
a part of the problem.

1728
01:17:12,100 --> 01:17:13,700
Northern Illinois.

1729
01:17:13,700 --> 01:17:16,166
If this is the way we have
to start with it, let's start.

1730
01:17:16,166 --> 01:17:17,900
We have 10 years.

1731
01:17:17,900 --> 01:17:20,066
But I want this
to be the boilerplate.

1732
01:17:20,066 --> 01:17:22,533
I want this to be
the initiative for cities

1733
01:17:22,533 --> 01:17:24,866
all over the United States

1734
01:17:24,866 --> 01:17:27,566
to accept that we're here
to stay.

1735
01:17:28,600 --> 01:17:30,933
- Good morning. How are you?

1736
01:17:30,933 --> 01:17:32,100
I'm good.

1737
01:17:32,100 --> 01:17:34,000
Hi, Mr. Sutton.
I'm good. How are you?

1738
01:17:34,000 --> 01:17:36,033
Is this one me?

1739
01:17:36,033 --> 01:17:37,700
- First, we're gonna have
an introduction

1740
01:17:37,700 --> 01:17:39,800
of our new committee members,
Carl Sutton.

1741
01:17:39,800 --> 01:17:43,066
- Being a third-generation
Evanstonian and an active

1742
01:17:43,066 --> 01:17:45,066
member in the community,
I've had a chance

1743
01:17:45,066 --> 01:17:48,200
to realize
that Evanston now stands

1744
01:17:48,200 --> 01:17:50,433
at the brink of history.

1745
01:17:50,433 --> 01:17:53,233
We're in a very good position
now to set the tone

1746
01:17:53,233 --> 01:17:57,433
which I hope the nation will
pick up the ball and follow.

1747
01:17:57,433 --> 01:18:01,100
We are under the eyes now
of the whole world.

1748
01:18:01,100 --> 01:18:04,100
[soft music]

1749
01:18:04,100 --> 01:18:07,200
♪ ♪

1750
01:18:07,200 --> 01:18:11,766
- So you know what we need,
actually, is the labels.

1751
01:18:11,766 --> 01:18:13,700
The name tags.
- Oh, okay.

1752
01:18:16,500 --> 01:18:19,766
- Okay, I got to prepare
something to say.

1753
01:18:19,766 --> 01:18:24,400
We are ready to receive
about 50 leaders

1754
01:18:24,400 --> 01:18:27,366
that have been working on
local reparation initiatives

1755
01:18:27,366 --> 01:18:28,466
in their communities.

1756
01:18:28,466 --> 01:18:29,466
Hey, Tina.

1757
01:18:29,466 --> 01:18:32,166
Has anyone showed up?

1758
01:18:32,166 --> 01:18:34,566
Oh, wow. Great.

1759
01:18:34,566 --> 01:18:36,833
- The value of Evanston

1760
01:18:36,833 --> 01:18:39,200
and the work
of Robin Rue Simmons is,

1761
01:18:39,200 --> 01:18:41,300
it's one of those
turning points.

1762
01:18:41,300 --> 01:18:43,766
Because there is
this pent-up yearning

1763
01:18:43,766 --> 01:18:48,300
for a concrete example
that it can be done.

1764
01:18:48,300 --> 01:18:50,633
- The extra folders
are over there.

1765
01:18:52,033 --> 01:18:55,900
- Symbolically,
Evanston woke up the world.

1766
01:18:55,900 --> 01:19:00,733
♪ ♪

1767
01:19:00,733 --> 01:19:03,233
So everyone, municipalities,
university,

1768
01:19:03,233 --> 01:19:06,366
I mean,
is looking to Evanston.

1769
01:19:06,366 --> 01:19:08,833
And the hope is that
what we all end up doing

1770
01:19:08,833 --> 01:19:11,733
is creating
a national network of groups.

1771
01:19:11,733 --> 01:19:15,900
- This conference will
and should go down in history

1772
01:19:15,900 --> 01:19:18,300
as the Evanston Conference.

1773
01:19:18,300 --> 01:19:20,566
It is a distinct honor
to be representing

1774
01:19:20,566 --> 01:19:22,533
the CARICOM
Reparations Commission

1775
01:19:22,533 --> 01:19:24,766
at this historical event.

1776
01:19:24,766 --> 01:19:27,666
- I bring you greetings
from New Orleans, Louisiana.

1777
01:19:27,666 --> 01:19:29,600
- I am with World One
Development

1778
01:19:29,600 --> 01:19:31,966
in Tulsa, Oklahoma,
home of Black Wall Street.

1779
01:19:31,966 --> 01:19:33,433
- I'm from Los Angeles.

1780
01:19:33,433 --> 01:19:35,466
- Amherst, Massachusetts.

1781
01:19:35,466 --> 01:19:36,766
- I'm from Philadelphia.

1782
01:19:36,766 --> 01:19:38,233
- Omaha, Nebraska.

1783
01:19:38,233 --> 01:19:41,000
- When I started this work,
I simply was trying

1784
01:19:41,000 --> 01:19:43,433
to repair some of the injury

1785
01:19:43,433 --> 01:19:46,133
that had been done
in my own community.

1786
01:19:46,133 --> 01:19:47,700
- City of Tulsa.

1787
01:19:47,700 --> 01:19:49,466
- I had no idea how big

1788
01:19:49,466 --> 01:19:53,100
this whole local reparations
movement would get.

1789
01:19:53,100 --> 01:19:55,766
- I'm Mayor Michael B.
Hancock of Denver, Colorado.

1790
01:19:55,766 --> 01:19:57,000
- From Atlanta, Georgia.

1791
01:19:57,000 --> 01:19:58,666
- I'm a founding member
of The Kansas City

1792
01:19:58,666 --> 01:20:00,600
chapter of the National
Black United Front.

1793
01:20:00,600 --> 01:20:03,400
- In 2020,
we talked about reparations,

1794
01:20:03,400 --> 01:20:05,233
but we didn't know
how to go about doing it.

1795
01:20:05,233 --> 01:20:08,066
But one day,
I was looking at TV,

1796
01:20:08,066 --> 01:20:11,400
and I saw this bad sister
out of Evanston, Illinois.

1797
01:20:11,400 --> 01:20:12,833
[laughter]

1798
01:20:12,833 --> 01:20:14,500
She inspired me.

1799
01:20:14,500 --> 01:20:17,933
I said, "If they can do it
in Evanston, Illinois,

1800
01:20:17,933 --> 01:20:19,966
why can't we do it in Detroit?"

1801
01:20:19,966 --> 01:20:21,733
We're 85% Black.

1802
01:20:21,733 --> 01:20:24,466
- For me, this
is the most important thing

1803
01:20:24,466 --> 01:20:26,833
that we as a people
should be focusing on

1804
01:20:26,833 --> 01:20:27,933
in this moment.

1805
01:20:27,933 --> 01:20:29,400
This is our shot to address

1806
01:20:29,400 --> 01:20:32,566
all the disparities,
and in one--

1807
01:20:32,566 --> 01:20:34,700
you know, one container.

1808
01:20:34,700 --> 01:20:36,466
- This country says
that it values

1809
01:20:36,466 --> 01:20:38,300
liberty and justice for all

1810
01:20:38,300 --> 01:20:41,033
and equity and inclusion
and freedom.

1811
01:20:41,033 --> 01:20:43,766
- So San Francisco has
a population of over...

1812
01:20:43,766 --> 01:20:46,433
- That's not been the reality
of Black America.

1813
01:20:46,433 --> 01:20:48,000
- Less than 6%
of the population

1814
01:20:48,000 --> 01:20:49,133
is African American.

1815
01:20:49,133 --> 01:20:51,100
- Recognizing
the legal challenges

1816
01:20:51,100 --> 01:20:52,866
that we know are coming up,

1817
01:20:52,866 --> 01:20:55,066
we still need to be about
the task of beginning

1818
01:20:55,066 --> 01:20:58,033
to create a new narrative
and a new legal framework.

1819
01:20:58,033 --> 01:21:00,700
- I realize that now
I'm a part of a movement,

1820
01:21:00,700 --> 01:21:02,366
a national movement,

1821
01:21:02,366 --> 01:21:05,466
one that has great momentum
to finally grapple with

1822
01:21:05,466 --> 01:21:07,500
the injury
inflicted by slavery

1823
01:21:07,500 --> 01:21:11,933
and the deep-seated racism
that we endure today.

1824
01:21:11,933 --> 01:21:14,233
We're here to represent
and advocate

1825
01:21:14,233 --> 01:21:16,033
for H.R. 40, ladies.

1826
01:21:16,033 --> 01:21:17,566
We're here for H.R. 40.

1827
01:21:17,566 --> 01:21:19,933
We're all here for the things
that empower our community.

1828
01:21:19,933 --> 01:21:21,866
Just want to make sure
you had this flier.

1829
01:21:21,866 --> 01:21:23,166
- Thank you so much.
- Thank you.

1830
01:21:23,166 --> 01:21:24,333
Thanks for being here.
- Good luck to you today.

1831
01:21:24,333 --> 01:21:25,733
- Thank you.

1832
01:21:25,733 --> 01:21:28,800
Trauma in the Black community
runs so deep.

1833
01:21:28,800 --> 01:21:30,600
The injury is so deep.

1834
01:21:30,600 --> 01:21:34,300
It's been passed down
through generations.

1835
01:21:34,300 --> 01:21:35,966
And for us to move forward,

1836
01:21:35,966 --> 01:21:39,133
everyone in our community,
all Americans,

1837
01:21:39,133 --> 01:21:42,866
need to commit to reconciling
with that past.

1838
01:21:42,866 --> 01:21:46,633
[cheers and applause]

1839
01:21:46,633 --> 01:21:48,233
My name is Robin Rue Simmons,

1840
01:21:48,233 --> 01:21:51,033
and I am here in solidarity
with each of you

1841
01:21:51,033 --> 01:21:53,633
as we fight for the issues
we value.

1842
01:21:53,633 --> 01:21:56,400
Reparations for people
of African descent in America

1843
01:21:56,400 --> 01:21:57,666
is long overdue.

1844
01:21:57,666 --> 01:21:59,400
We don't want
a piece of freedom.

1845
01:21:59,400 --> 01:22:02,633
We want the whole package,
and that's reparations.

1846
01:22:02,633 --> 01:22:05,766
H.R. 40 now, reparations now.

1847
01:22:05,766 --> 01:22:08,100
[cheers and applause]

1848
01:22:08,100 --> 01:22:11,100
[hopeful music]

1849
01:22:11,100 --> 01:22:15,700
♪ ♪

1850
01:22:15,700 --> 01:22:17,666
There are thousands
of communities

1851
01:22:17,666 --> 01:22:20,700
all across this nation
that need repair.

1852
01:22:20,700 --> 01:22:27,466
♪ ♪

1853
01:22:27,466 --> 01:22:28,733
It is my life's work.

1854
01:22:28,733 --> 01:22:31,633
I feel truly assigned
to do this work.

1855
01:22:31,633 --> 01:22:34,900
I wake up every morning
with an assignment

1856
01:22:34,900 --> 01:22:36,866
on, what is my next action?

1857
01:22:36,866 --> 01:22:39,066
Who should I try
to connect with?

1858
01:22:39,066 --> 01:22:40,533
Who am I gonna meet?
What partnership?

1859
01:22:40,533 --> 01:22:41,600
What new idea?

1860
01:22:41,600 --> 01:22:43,366
[thunder rumbling]

1861
01:22:43,366 --> 01:22:47,333
♪ ♪

1862
01:22:47,333 --> 01:22:49,766
I will not be satisfied
until I see

1863
01:22:49,766 --> 01:22:52,066
that quality of life
for Black Americans

1864
01:22:52,066 --> 01:22:55,566
is truly on par
with that of white Americans.

1865
01:22:55,566 --> 01:23:00,866
♪ ♪

1866
01:23:00,866 --> 01:23:04,500
We have made a start
in Evanston,

1867
01:23:04,500 --> 01:23:08,000
but there is so much more work
that needs to be done.

1868
01:23:08,000 --> 01:23:15,033
♪ ♪

1869
01:23:31,366 --> 01:23:34,400
[upbeat music]

1870
01:23:34,400 --> 01:23:41,433
♪ ♪

1871
01:23:55,900 --> 01:23:57,266
- Let's give it up, please,

1872
01:23:57,266 --> 01:23:59,533
for Representative
Sheila Jackson Lee.

1873
01:23:59,533 --> 01:24:00,633
Please.

1874
01:24:00,633 --> 01:24:03,633
[cheers and applause]

1875
01:24:03,633 --> 01:24:05,600
♪ ♪

1876
01:24:05,600 --> 01:24:07,766
- I declare and proclaim

1877
01:24:07,766 --> 01:24:10,600
that America has just gotten
a gift.

1878
01:24:10,600 --> 01:24:12,300
They have the ability now

1879
01:24:12,300 --> 01:24:14,700
to call themselves
the supporters

1880
01:24:14,700 --> 01:24:17,433
of the Juneteenth
national holiday.

1881
01:24:17,433 --> 01:24:19,733
[cheers and applause]
This is America.

1882
01:24:19,733 --> 01:24:21,033
The numbers kept coming.

1883
01:24:21,033 --> 01:24:22,366
They kept coming.
They kept coming.

1884
01:24:22,366 --> 01:24:23,500
We haven't seen these numbers.

1885
01:24:23,500 --> 01:24:26,000
415 men and women

1886
01:24:26,000 --> 01:24:27,333
of the United States Congress

1887
01:24:27,333 --> 01:24:29,466
voted for
the Juneteenth holiday.

1888
01:24:29,466 --> 01:24:31,600
415!

1889
01:24:31,600 --> 01:24:33,733
[cheers and applause]

1890
01:24:33,733 --> 01:24:36,033
Something about that word,
Juneteenth.

1891
01:24:36,033 --> 01:24:39,066
[cheers and applause]

1892
01:24:43,166 --> 01:24:46,133
[poignant music]

1893
01:24:47,366 --> 01:24:54,433
♪ ♪