CHICAGO – Ahead of Juneteenth, Mayor Brandon Johnson signed Executive Order 2024-1, establishing a Reparations Task Force to develop a Black Reparations Agenda. This Task Force is an example of the Administration’s dedication to co-governance, and in partnership with members of the Aldermanic Black Caucus, the Mayor’s offices of Equity and Racial Justice and  Business, Economic and Neighborhood Development, and other key City departments, will conduct a comprehensive study and examination of all policies that have harmed Black Chicagoans from the slavery era to present day and make a series of recommendations that will serve as appropriate remedies. 

“Today's Executive Order is not just a public declaration; it is a pledge to shape the future of our city by confronting the legacy of inequity that has plagued Chicago for far too long,” said Mayor Brandon Johnson. “In partnership with the Chicago City Council Black Caucus and our dedicated allies, we are continuing to build on the bedrock of my administration to move forward in reconciliation through targeted investments aimed at rectifying decades of deliberate disinvestment in Black neighborhoods and communities.   

“These decisive actions move us beyond words and are a testament to my administration taking on the responsibility of this work. Thank you to all for your unwavering dedication that has brought us to this pivotal moment toward a more just and equitable Chicago for all.”  

Within the Executive Order, Mayor Johnson acknowledges the legacy of chattel slavery and Jim Crow laws as incompatible with the values and principles recognized in the City of Chicago’s Equity Statement of Principles – a city where there is fair and just access to opportunity and resources that provide everyone with the ability to thrive – and issues an apology on behalf of the City of Chicago for the historical wrongs committed against Black Chicagoans and their ancestors who have and continue to bear injustices.  

“As an Alderwoman, I have remained steadfast in our city making progress wherever possible on reparations, and I am proud that we are taking concrete action rather than just engaging in discourse,” said 16th Ward Alderwoman Stephanie D. Coleman. “Today is a major step forward, and I am thankful to the Johnson Administration for its continued support and commitment to addressing the deep wounds inflicted by centuries of injustice against the Black community. We will not be ashamed of who we are, and what we have overcome.”  

The legacy of slavery and its aftermath echoes, even today, and the executive order names the cumulative impact the legal institution of slavery, Jim Crow laws, and other discriminatory practices upheld by public and private institutions has had on Black Chicagoans, which include disparities in life expectancy, unemployment, homeownership rates, home value, incarceration, and more.  

Executive Order 2024-1 will establish a Task Force to support the strategy, implementation, and engagement of a Chicago Black Reparations Agenda. In partnership with the City of Chicago and Aldermanic Black Caucus, the Task Force will carry out the following:  

• Create a City of Chicago definition and framework for reparations. 

• Develop educational tools to build capacity within the City of Chicago and the public for reparations  

• Identify core issue areas for redress and reparative action – for example, housing, economic development, health, education, community safety, mass incarceration and over-policing, and more. 

• Conduct a comprehensive study and examination of all policies that have harmed Black Chicagoans from slavery era to present day. 

• Hold public hearings and a broader community engagement strategy to gather testimonials and personal narratives from Black people with lived experience of their harm. 

• Makes a series of recommendations that will serve as appropriate remedies and restitution for past injustices and present harm consistent with international standards. 

• Recommends appropriate ways to educate the Chicago public on the report. 

• Identifies connections to existing City of Chicago reparative policies and programs. 

This declaration follows Mayor Johnson’s $500,000 investment towards studying Reparations and Restoration committed in the City’s 2024 fiscal year budget.  

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