In Evanston, Illinois, community leader N’nanba (Robin Rue Simmons) has dedicated years to advancing one of the nation's most complex issues: how to repair the enduring damage caused by slavery. Her work helped establish the nation’s first municipal reparations program, which provides $25,000 housing grants to Black residents with families affected by discriminatory housing policies. This initiative is now inspiring efforts in over 100 other communities across the United States.
However, these reparations efforts face significant challenges under the Trump administration, which has taken a stance critical of race-based programs and diversity initiatives. The administration’s opposition has led some institutions to reconsider or reduce their reparations activities amid heightened political uncertainty.
The broader international context underscores ongoing debates about reparations. In March, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution condemning the transatlantic slave trade as “the gravest crime against humanity” and called for reparations. The resolution garnered support from more than 120 countries but saw opposition from the United States, Israel, and Argentina, with 52 other nations abstaining, including the United Kingdom and members of the European Union.
Robin Rue Simmons, chairwoman of Evanston’s Reparations Committee, emphasized the importance of federal redress despite the administration’s resistance. The history underpinning reparations is extensive: the transatlantic slave trade forcibly transported an estimated 12.5 million Africans to the Americas, with around 1.8 million perishing during the Middle Passage. In what is now the United States, approximately 388,000 enslaved people endured centuries of chattel slavery, which along with subsequent Jim Crow laws and systemic racism, severely limited Black Americans’ ability to accumulate wealth and access equitable opportunities.
Experts note that the concept of reparations has long been excluded from mainstream political discourse. William Darity, a reparations scholar, remarked that while previous administrations avoided the topic, President Donald Trump has spoken about it with open hostility, framing reparations as an unfeasible financial burden.
Trump asserted at a September rally that reparations are “going nowhere” in the United States because of cost concerns. These remarks reflect broader governmental actions opposing reparations. The Justice Department has intervened in legal challenges against Evanston’s program, which faces accusations of violating the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause and the Fair Housing Act by distributing funds exclusively based on race rather than specific injury.
The department also issued warnings to local leaders in Asheville and Buncombe County, North Carolina, discouraging the creation of similar programs. Justice Department spokeswoman Kiersten Pels stated that race-based government benefits are unconstitutional and often contravene federal civil rights laws, adding that the federal government is obligated to halt such programs.
In higher education, reparations efforts have been mixed. Georgetown University continues to offer admission consideration to descendants of enslaved people connected to the institution’s history, despite nationwide resistance to race-conscious policies. Conversely, many universities have stalled new reparations programs amid political pushback.
Some Virginia institutions have quietly implemented scholarship programs for descendants of enslaved individuals following a 2021 state law. Yet, expansion beyond these efforts has been limited, according to University of Virginia historian Kirt von Daacke, who leads a consortium studying slavery’s legacy.
A unique model exists at Virginia Theological Seminary, which annually distributes cash payments to descendants of those enslaved on its campus. Supported by an endowment that has grown to $2.8 million, these reparations continue indefinitely and are offered without conditions. Seminary spokesperson Nicky Burridge described the program as the only educational institution-led initiative providing direct, annual reparations payments in the United States.
Ebonee Davis-Hayes, the seminary’s director of reparations, highlighted the dual value of such programs, emphasizing that moral and emotional healing are as significant as financial compensation.
As efforts to address the legacy of slavery progress amid political headwinds, communities and institutions remain divided on the path forward and the proper scope of reparations to achieve justice and reconciliation.