Chicago residents can now apply to join the city’s Reparations Task Force, which will be tasked with developing the city’s first comprehensive reparations study.
Although Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration is following through on its commitment to develop a reparations plan, it is months behind on the goals outlined in the executive order, which called for designing a framework and selection process for the Black Reparations Task Force within 90 days, and releasing a public report within one year recommending remedies and restitution for past and present harm to Black residents.
The TRiiBE reached out to the Mayor’s Office for comment on the delay but has not yet received a response.
The Reparations Task Force launched on Juneteenth 2024 through an executive order signed by Johnson with the expressed intention to examine policies that have harmed Black Chicagoans from the days of slavery to the present and make recommendations to address these issues.
“This Reparations Task Force represents a pivotal moment in our city’s history and my administration’s ongoing pursuit to repair the generations of harm our people have endured,” Mayor Brandon Johnson wrote in a written release.
The Reparations Task Force will include 40 members in total—25 appointed through a nomination process by the Mayor’s Office and the Aldermanic Black Caucus, and 15 selected through the public application process.
All nominees and applicants must complete a short application. The application can be found here. Applications for the Task Force will be accepted now through May 20, 2025.
“By bringing together diverse voices and expertise from across our communities, we are doing more than just studying the past—we are creating Chicago’s first comprehensive roadmap for reparations that will build a more equitable future that centers justice for all,” Johnson continued.
The Johnson administration’s Task Force is in partnership with members of the Aldermanic Black Caucus, the Mayor’s Offices of Equity, Racial Justice, Business, Economic, and Neighborhood Development, and other city departments.
“We all envision a Chicago where every person’s dignity is honored and protected, and where everyone has what they need to thrive. To realize this vision, the City has a responsibility to acknowledge and address historic and present-day racial inequities,” the city’s Chief of Equity Carla Kupe, wrote in the press statement.
Johnson’s 2024 budget included a $500,000 investment to create a subcommittee to study reparations.
“With the creation of the Reparation Task Force, I am proud that we are showing our commitment to investing in the documentation and reparation of harm. Together, we are not just making history, we are correcting it,” Chairwoman of the Aldermanic Black Caucus, Stephanie Coleman (16th Ward) wrote in the press release.
Below is a list of responsibilities of the Task Force:
- Define what Black reparations means in the specific context of Chicago;
- Identify key areas of harm for redress (e.g., housing, policing, incarceration, education, health, and economic development);
- Contribute to and amplify public testimonials and personal narratives to include within the report;
- Review policies and practices that have led to structural inequities;
- Help develop recommendations and remedies for reparative action;
- Attend community engagement sessions and public hearings;
- Attend 90-minute Task Force monthly meetings
- Review relevant materials to inform decision-making and recommendations;
- Support the development of Chicago’s Reparations Study
The members of the Task Force will be compensated. They will serve for one year following their first meeting to produce Chicago’s Reparations Study next summer, according to the Mayor’s Office.
“The Reparations Task Force and Study is more than a policy initiative — it is a moral obligation. It’s about righting historic wrongs, honoring our ancestors, and building a future rooted in dignity and fairness for all,” Ald. Desmon Yancy (5th Ward) wrote in the press statement.
Anyone with questions about the Reparations Task Force can email equity.opportunities@cityofchicago.org.
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