Committee on Health and Human Relations: Subcommittee on Reparations
Chicago City Council
Health
Politics
Chicago, IL 60602 (Directions)
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Reporting
Edited and summarized by the Chicago - IL Documenters Team
Note-taking by
Corlicia Tolliver
First meeting, National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America, Evanston reparations bill
Live reporting by
Avani Kalra
First meeting, National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America, Evanston reparations bill
Avani Kalra
@avanidkalra
Hi everyone! Today I will be live-tweeting the Committee on Health and Human Relations Subcommittee on Reparations meeting. Stay tuned! Here is a link to the livestream, for those interested in joining: livestream.com/accounts/28669…
#Chidocumenters @CHIdocumenters
#Chidocumenters @CHIdocumenters
12:59 PM Mar 11, 2021 CST
16th Ward Alderwoman Stephanie D. Coleman calls the meeting to order, starting with a roll call.
The group moves into public comment period. There are eight members of the public set to speak. The first speaker is a 70 year old African American man who speaks to the "second class citizenship" he has experienced in Chicago during his lifetime.
He goes through the "weapons of mass destruction" used to dehumanize African American Chicagoans, including miseducation, misuse of tax dollars, mass incarceration, and calls on the committee to move beyond symbolic reparations and revive and enforce reparatory justice efforts.
Jodie Whittaker from the Chicago Alliance for Animals is the next speaker, and she begins with some statistics on dogs that have been euthanized in the past year. Over 700 dogs were euthanized in one shelter in Chicago, last year.
"Nobody should be making money off of impregnating dogs over and over again." She speaks to a bill that will protect dogs from abuse, and calls on aldermen to support the bill and protect dogs from inhumane treatment.
Barbara Baker is next up. A lifetime citizen of Chicago and a human rights activist, Baker has been active in the reparations fight for 23 years. She asks for an ordinance to be passed to help undo some of the damage done with healthcare, education, and incarceration systems.
"The Japanese-Americans were mistreated. They were given reparations. You don't hear about them being mistreated again," Baker says.
Implementing reparations will create a culture in which it is no longer acceptable to be racist towards African Americans, Baker says. "I'm depending on you all to get it done. I know you can."
Now, Henry Ortiz takes the floor for three minutes. He is calling on behalf of the Chicago Alliance for Animals. He tells a story about his own dog, Rudy, who was a victim of being a puppy-mill dog.
"Rudy was given up because he couldn't be sold for a profit, and put in a kill shelter. Luckily a group found him and got him out of there, but he went from foster home to foster home for the first three years of his life." Rudy has separation anxiety and other problems.
"This wonderful dog of mine, he almost passed away in a shelter." Ortiz speaks out against puppy mills and backyard readers that kill hundreds of dogs a year. He tears up talking about Rudy's death after 15 years together. He asks the aldermen to vote on and pass the ordinance.
Jamie Lyons Doyle, the next speaker, asks the aldermen to sign the animal welfare ordinance as well. "It is crystal clear some business are ignoring the existing 2014 ordinance."
Chairwoman reminds speakers that this is a Subcommittee on Reparations, not the general Health and Human Services meeting.
George Blakemore is "appalled" about the animal-rights speakers, saying it is "very disrespectful for people to come in when Black people have been treated like animals." He says it is an insult to let white men and women come in and talk about animals.
"We built this country on our blood sweat and tears. There is white wealth, and Black labor." Black people should have 15-20% of Chicago's budget, Blakemore says. "We need to get people out of these concentration camps we call ghettos."
Blakemore says he would never have allowed people talking about dogs into the Subcommittee on Reparations.
The next speaker is a law student, and brings the conversation back to animal control, telling the story of her own dog who was to be killed, before adoption.
She apologizes, clarifying that dog-rights activists have not been able to speak and have been blocked at normal meetings.
She speaks to a pet overpopulation problem, saying that city residents' taxes go to Animal Control (seven million a year), and that budget does not need to exist, and could even go to reparations.
The next speaker is also talking about the "Puppy Mill Bill." She reads a statement from a veterinarian strongly in support of the bill, and talks about closing the loophole that allows backyard breeders to sell.
Chairwoman Stephanie Coleman closes the public comment meeting, clarifying that this meeting is to discuss future goals and progress for the Subcommittee on Reparations. This is the inaugural meeting.
"Our discourse here must lead to decisive action." Chairwoman says she is honored and grateful to welcome Kamm Howard of COBRA and Alderwoman Robin Simmons,
Howard speaks first, saying "justice has been delayed for far too long," thanking those who spoke about reparations in public comment and within the group.
In July 2019, Willie Wilson brought together legislators and activists to make the demand for reparations in Chicago. On Sept 19, a resolution passed to send an ordinance to the Health and Human Relations committee.
The group put on symposiums on the South and North Sides of Chicago to make citizens aware of the history, need, and demand for reparations. "We cannot go forward, as a nation or as a city, with these types of disparities."
In June of 2020, at the meeting of the Health and Human Relations Committee, they presented foundations for the demand for reparations: genocide, plunder, and apartheid.
"The maternal mortality rate for African Americans is four times higher than that of white mothers."
Howard talks about food deserts and other resource disparities that result in a 30-year life expectancy disparity between Black males and white males in the city of Chicago.
It was decided that this commission would be a people's commission, given that much of the harm done to Black communities was perpetuated or created by governmental bodies or figures.
Three initiatives; Enforce the slavery disclosure ordinance in its originally intended purpose, Transgenerational Epigenetic Injury/Inheritance Health Awareness Campaign, and Black Procurement Technical Assistance Center.
The first initiative essentially means that companies making contracts with the city or the committee who have previous ties to slavery have to 1) disclose those ties and 2) indicate means or methods companies have used to undo their ties to enslavement (IE via education).
Although an ordinance requiring this was passed and people should report to this subcommittee about ties to slavery, what is required is not happening.
Howard speaks to weakened immune systems in Black communities, caused by trauma and systemic racism. Historical trauma caused these communities to be more susceptible to COVID-19.
The second initiative would include an educational component about health and wellness, and systemic racism's role in suppressing that.
The third initiatives can be put simply: Black businesses need and deserve a procurement technical assistance center.
Howard says Black businesses also deserve a certain number of contracts that they are not presently awarded.
There are forces at an administrative level of government (state and federal level) blocking these efforts. Howard says it is time to be on the right side of history––President Biden and Sen. Schumer are in favor of reparations, and this city is falling behind the federal gov't.
Chairwoman Stephanie Coleman says this committee is "committed to being on the right side of history" in Chicago. Now, we are moving up to Evanston.
Alderwoman Simmons steps into the picture, thanking the group for their commitment to advancing racial justice goals.
Simmons provides a brief history of reparations resolutions in Evanston. The work began in 2002 with reparations in solidarity with HR-40 and in the school board.
"Diversity and Inclusion isn't doing enough." So Ald Simmons worked on introducing reparations in 2019. Now there is over a 100 page document that establishes a clear and targeted case for reparations. It targets housing and economic disparities.
"You need to build your local case, and add partners in our cities to our work that once perpetuated harm to Black communities." The remedies should, however, be led by the injured communities. Only Black people can define what the injury is.
Ten million dollars is definitively not enough, but it "is an incremental and urgent step." Simmons says to be thoughtful and broad––they began this work in 2017 and it did not make the news until a few weeks ago.
She urges the commission to identify funds from philanthropic communities in addition to their budget.
She offers Evanston's toolkits and pledges her support to Chicago's reparations initiative.
"More must come from institutions that furthered the harm of the Black community" including banks, universities, in this case, Northwestern University, local government, etc.
Now we move into question and answer! Chairman Roderick Sawyer begins, calling Simmons a personal hero and Howard a mentor. People equate reparations with money, so he asks: Could you talk about what is reparations?
Howard says: "Government must do whatever it can to wipe away all consequences of those harms." That means, to begin, structures must be put in place to prevent further bad acts, current bad acts must be halted.
The second component is restitution: policies meant that education/health/wealth was lowered, so new policies must be written to undo those policies. Undoing policy is not enough, the consequences of policy must also be undone. There should be a level playing field.
Another part is healing of the mind, body, and spirit. Mental trauma that might come along with oppression must be undone.
Vice Chair of the Subcommittee, Andre Vasquez, gives a little speech about continually perpetuated racism and marginalization and a lack of healing. "It is our responsibility to pay back this harm with interest."
For Alderwoman Simmons, he asks: What was your experience in working with executive branch in getting legislation passed?
They had a working sessions and meetings in July 2019 and City Council eventually voted 8-1 to uplift the historic Black community. "There was really no local opposition." The no vote was due to a lack of plan.
Simmons adds that she reached out to people who had respect from City Council members and got letters of rec.
Next is Alderman Howard Brookins. He speaks to how, even after something is passed, the Subcommittee has to ensure that its targets actually implement what they are supposed to.
Alderwoman Michele Smith thanks the speakers, and expresses support for the work of this committee. "This is the great unfinished work of our nation."
Chairman Emma Mitts also expresses her support, adding "the country cannot move forward until we not only acknowledge systemic racism, but do something about it."
She talks about the history of her own family, who cleaned up land and cut down trees so white landowners could farm. It's heartbreaking, she says, the injustice that has existed for so long.
Chairwoman Stephanie Coleman emphasizes the absolutely necessary work of the committee, saying "we must start somewhere."
Ald. Carrie Austin expresses pride for Chairwoman Coleman, but emphasizes that Chicagoans have been having this conversation for 20 years. She asks Howard "when will something start to move? When will something change"
In between comments, Alderwomen and men re-emphasize their disappointment with the animal-rights activists who chose the Reparations Subcommittee as their platform to protest animal abuse.
Howard talks about the resources and business development that is necessary to enact reparations in the City of Chicago.
Alderwoman Sophia King adds that a large part of the battle so far is that it has been hard to have a conversation about reparations. "It should never be hard to have a conversation."
"There are a lot of people who benefitted from our suffering and reap the benefits of that suffering today. They need to have some accountability."
Chairwoman Stephanie D. Coleman concludes the subject matter hearing! Thank you all for following along with the inaugural meeting of the Subcommittee for Reparations.
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