Chicago Mayor Orders Task Force on Reparations for Black Residents

Once the panel is established, it will have about a year to determine what reparations should look like in the city. The mayor of Chicago signed an executive order on Monday to establish a task force that will make recommendations for reparations to address policies that have harmed Black residents over the decades. The task force will study Chicago laws and policies from the slavery era to today, hold public hearings and make recommendations “that will serve as appropriate remedies and restitution for past injustices,” the mayor’s office said in a statement. The reparations task force mirrors efforts by other local and state governments across the country that have sought to determine whether reparations should be made for the lasting impact of slavery and discriminatory practices. The mayor, Brandon Johnson, a Democrat, said in a statement on Monday that the executive order was “a pledge to shape the future of our city by confronting the legacy of inequity that has plagued Chicago for far too long.” The executive order does not put a dollar amount on any potential reparations, and it does not say who will be eligible if the task force recommends any payment in the city, which is...