Group joins state rep in advancing talks about reparations

(The Center Square) – A new report says economic stability and reparations are key priorities for Black residents of Illinois. BlackRoots Alliance interviewed Black people across the state and found that compensation is only part of the package they hoped for with reparations. Respondents also cited financial literacy and generational wealth through vocational training and resources, along with economic stability through Black-owned businesses. State Rep. Sonya Harper, D-Chicago, is a member of the State of Illinois African Descent-Citizens Reparations Commission. Harper said she is grateful for the work of BlackRoots Alliance. “That’s a part of the work that we’re engaged in right now on the reparations commission. We’re doing hearings all across the state, hearing from communities, similar to what BlackRoots Alliance is doing in Chicago,” Harper said. Harper said it is important to set future generations up for success. “Because it was the future generations that were impacted the most from slavery, from being kidnapped and torn and taken away from a culture, from a language, from a way of knowing and being, and still having to grow up in this society where you never fully feel accepted and still continue to this day to experience those effects,” Harper...