Evanston’s recovery plan is seen as the key to stopping the black exodus

Residents of a Chicago suburb are hoping its compensation plan can “reduce the pressure on affordability” as the city’s black population shrinks, according to a new report.

The Evanston Daily, a news outlet covering Evanston, spoke to local residents about housing availability amid the “black exodus,” raising concerns among residents.

“It has become more green than black,” said social activist Meleika Gardner to the Daily. “It’s about money and who can afford to live here.”

The Rev. Michael CR Nabors, president of Evanston’s National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, believes the city is “losing the stock of our diversity.”

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“We couldn’t fill the gaps for the blacks who moved because the houses just came off the land,” said Nabors.

He continued, “For the Black people who have lived here for a generation or more, it is possible that their parents or grandparents bought houses with half of that money.

“Besides zoning, some community members told The Daily that the city’s compensation program could also help reduce the pressure of not being able to pay expenses. Nabors said the program is an ‘important first step’ in dealing with population dynamics,” the newspaper reported.

Evanston awarded $25,000 to 44 residents in the payment of compensations, the City Committee for Recovery announced in February. So far, at least 137 people received compensation payments a total of $3.47 million, and more are expected by the end of the year, reaching 171 recipients with approximately $4 million allocated for child welfare.

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The program, which was launched in 2019 to address past racism, provides $25,000 in direct cash to Black residents and descendants of Black residents who lived in Evanston between 1919 and 1969. Evanston was the first US city pass a compensation planpromises $10 million over ten years to Black residents.

A lawsuit was filed against the compensation plan in Evanston, Illinois. (Getty Images)

“Millions of those dollars are now being used to support Black families in Evanston who have been harmed by housing discrimination,” Nabors said.

However, one resident disagreed with the compensation plan. Darlene Cannon told the Daily that the plan “doesn’t fix anything.”

“We were sitting here, and my family was forced to live in Ward 2 instead of being given the opportunity to live in Ward 6 or 7,” Cannon said. “Twenty-five thousand dollars does not cover the damage done.”

“Still, Nabors said he sees the settlement as the beginning of a ‘cooperation’ between Black residents and city developers and officials. Going forward, he said building multi-unit buildings could help Black residents stay in Evanston,” the Daily reported.

Evanston officials did not respond to a request for comment.

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The future of Evanston’s compensation plan is in jeopardy as the city faces a lawsuit that was recently given the green light to proceed, winning a defendant’s case to have the matter dismissed.

The conservative group Judicial Watch is representing five plaintiffs who say the program violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. See filed a lawsuit against the compensation system for using race as an eligibility requirement.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. (Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images)

The city responded to the judge’s decision in a statement Fox News Digital.

“The city is aware of the recent court decision. The city will continue to defend this case,” said a city spokesperson.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson launched a public consultation effort called “Repair Chicago” to collect the experiences of Black Chicagoans’ injuries as part of an effort to initiate reparations.

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