Most people who lived in areas where the FHA refused to insure mortgages were white.
Following California’s lead, lawmakers in New York have passed a bill to create a reparations task force to study the lingering effects of slavery. New Jersey and Vermont are among states considering similar measures. It’s too early to tell if or how any restitution would play out—neither Gov. Gavin Newsom of California nor Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York has endorsed reparations payments—but a suburb of Chicago may offer some clues.
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Two years ago, Evanston, Ill., became the first municipality in the country to make reparations available to black residents. The City Council voted to distribute grants of $25,000 each to qualifying black households for home repairs, down payments on property and other housing costs. Blacks who lived in Evanston between 1919 and 1969 and their direct descendants are eligible. The city has promised to spend up to $10 million over the next decade, and CNN reported in March that 650 residents so far had applied. Don’t be surprised if Evanston becomes a template for similar schemes.
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Jason L. Riley is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a columnist at The Wall Street Journal, and a Fox News commentator. Follow him on Twitter here.
Photo by Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images