Reparations Workshop Update: October 1, 2021

The final session of our workshop on Faith, Justice and Reparations in Evanston will be held this Sunday afternoon from 4 to 5:30 pm. The three-part series is being held completely on-line. Register today to attend.

This week, we’ll be hearing from former Ald. Robin Rue Simmons, who spear-headed the Reparations movement in Evanston. We’ll also be hearing about an exciting opportunity for us to support this important racial justice initiative.

Our second session last week, which focused on the history of race relations in Evanston, was very well-received. We heard from a panel of local religious leaders, as well as from Dino Robinson of the Shorefront Legacy Center.

Are you familiar with the Dodge Ave YMCA? The Community Hospital? The crusading 5th Ward Alderman who integrated the public school teaching staff and began the fight for equal housing in Evanston. Tune in to the recording of last week’s session to find out more.

Over the summer, several members of the Racial Equity (REAL) and Peace and Justice teams have been working to develop this faith-based workshop series on Reparations. We have begun to explore what “reparations” means, how Evanston’s history of exclusion and discrimination calls for repair, what is happening with the city’s current Reparations programs — and to consider how we, as people of faith, are called to act at this significant moment in history.

To find out more and to access links to articles and videos on Reparations, Evanston history and faith statements on slavery and racial justice, visit the workshop website here.

This program is a joint effort by UCE, Lake Street Church, Northminster Presbyterian Church, Saint Luke Episcopal Church, and Sherman United Methodist Church. It is endorsed by Interfaith Action Evanston and funded by the UCE Endowment Fund.