Reparations a worthy goal
Feb. 25 was National Reparations Awareness Day. This day has been celebrated by the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America since the early 1990s.
On. Feb. 19, the Chicago City Council hosted a ceremony to recognize leaders working to enact reparations across the state that included the Jeffrey Trask, president of the Champaign-Urbana Reparations Coalition.
Our coalition formed in May 2023 and meets monthly to plan legislative action and educational events locally. Our goal is to address the historic and ongoing harms caused by systemic racism and discrimination and, guided by those most impacted, to work towards creating a more just and equitable society for all.
We work with community members, organizations and elected officials to push for tangible reparative measures that address the harms caused by slavery, segregation, redlining and other forms of systemic oppression.
We are fortunate here to be able to build on previous commitments that the cities, county and University of Illinois have made to work towards racial equity. Further, the CU Reparations Coalition is one of 204 organizations statewide that received funding from the Healing Illinois grant program to support educational activities this spring.
Please visit our website at cureparationscoalition.com to stay informed about upcoming events and learn about the many resources available to foster a culture of repair.
SHARON IRISH
Urbana