Descendants of Evanston residents file federal class action suit against reparations program

Descendants of Evanston residents file federal class action suit against reparations program Evanston descendants file class-action suit over reparations program Daily file illustration by Shveta Shah The plaintiffs in the case identify as non-Black or non-African-American descendants of Evanston residents. May 24, 2024 Six descendants of Evanston residents filed a federal class action lawsuit against the city Thursday, alleging its reparations program violates the U.S. Constitution by unnecessarily discriminating on the basis of race. Evanston is the first city in the U.S. to adopt a reparations program for its Black residents. The Restorative Housing Program, enacted in 2021, aims to “address the historical wealth and opportunity gaps that African American/Black residents of Evanston experienced,” according to the city’s website. As part of the program, Black residents who lived in Evanston from 1919 to 1969 and their direct descendants can be eligible for up to $25,000 in cash from the City. The plaintiffs are represented by attorneys with the conservative nonprofit Judicial Watch. They do not identify as Black nor African American, nor did their Evanston resident ancestors, according to the complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. The plaintiffs are asking for a judge...