RESIDENTS LOOKING TO WEIGH IN ON REPARATIONS.

HERE'S YOUR CHANCE.

THE STATE'S REPARATIONS COMMISSION IS KICKING OFF PUBLIC HEARINGS ACROSS ILLINOIS WITH THE FIRST IN CHICAGO ON SATURDAY.

COMMISSION IS TASKED WITH RESEARCHING AND REPORTING ON POSSIBLE REPERTORY ACTIONS FOR BLACK RESIDENTS WHO ARE DESCENDANTS OF SLAVERY.

LEADERS SAY THE PUBLIC'S INPUT WILL BE USED DEVELOPING PROPOSALS FOR POLICYMAKERS.

JOINING US NOW WITH MORE, OUR DANIEL DAVIS, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF AFRICANA STUDIES AND AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AT KENNEDY KING COLLEGE.

AND ONE OF THE HEARINGS FEATURED SPEAKERS AND JOINING US RESUME IS MARVIN SLAUGHTER, THE BOARD CHAIR OF THE AFRICAN DESCENT CITIZENS REPARATIONS COMMISSION.

THANKS TO YOU BOTH FOR JOINING US.

SO MARTIN, LET'S START WITH YOU.

PLEASE TELL US ABOUT THE COMMISSION AND WHY WE NEED IT.

YES, YOU KNOW, THE COMMISSION ORIGINALLY STARTED NEW 2021.

I WAS AN AMBITIOUS PLAN BY LEGISLATIVE BLACK TO DISMANTLE SYSTEMIC RACISM IN THE STATE OF ILLINOIS.

SO THE CAUCUS INTRODUCED LEGISLATION REFORM 4 KEY PILLARS ILLINOIS GOVERNMENT IN THIS WORK FALL UNDER REFORMATION ECONOMIC AT OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN.

I MEAN, IT'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT ON UNDERSTANDING THAT THE BLACK COMMUNITY'S BARRIERS TO ECONOMIC ACCESS EQUITY AND OPPORTUNITY ARE SO LARGE.

SO THIS IS PART OF THE REASON WHY THIS DOES WORK IN THESE EFFORTS ARE SOME IMPORTANT.

AS YOU MENTIONED, THIS THE LAW CREATED THE COMMISSION BACK IN 2021.

WHEN, OF COURSE, AT THE TIME THE BLACK MANAGED TO USHER THROUGH A NUMBER OF OTHER, A VERY SPECIFIC LAWS FOR THE BLACK COMMUNITY.

WHY ARE WE JUST NOW GETTING TO HEARINGS?

BRING US UP TO SPEED ON WHAT THE COMMISSION HAS BEEN DOING FOR THE LAST 2 YEARS.

YES, INDEED, ISN'T IT?

SO THAT THE COMMISSION HAS BEEN PUBLIC AND GATE TO EVENTS IN THE COMMUNITY?

WE'VE BEEN ATTEMPTING TO GET THE WORD OUT IN START DOING SOME OF THE EDUCATIONAL WORK WE HAVE HOSTED A VACANCY IN IN SPRINGFIELD, EAST ST. LOUIS AND CHICAGO LAST LAST FALL WE BROUGHT NIKOLE HANNAH-JONES FOR A CONVERSATION WITH ONE OF OUR COMMISSIONER DOCTOR TED WILLIAMS.

THE 3RD AND WE'VE BEEN, YOU PUTTING OUR HIS DOWNING IN BEGINNING TO GET TO WORK.

IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE ON BOARD.

OUR RESEARCH TEAM HAVE BUT THE WORK THAT IS GOING TO BE NECESSARY PRODUCING OR HARM REPORT.

AND MARVIN, BEFORE BRING DANIEL AND AS WELL.

WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FOR THE DISCUSSION AT THE AND WHAT DO YOU WANT TO HEAR FROM THE PUBLIC?

INDEED, INDEED.

SO, YOU KNOW, THE FORM OF THE HEARING WILL WILL HAVE 3 EXPERT SPEAKERS WILL KIND OF GROUND I WILL HAVE DOCTOR DAVE DAVIS, DOCTOR PETER COLE IN FOR HAMPTON JUNIOR.

I MEAN, THEY WILL BE SPEAKING 3 IT'S LATE RESULTS HERE POLITICAL DISENFRANCHISEMENT.

THEN WE'LL HAVE SECTION OF REGISTER PUBLIC COMMENT.

WE WILL HAVE 3 MEMBERS WHO HAVE ALREADY REGISTERED TO SPEAK FROM THE COMMUNITY THAT WILL TALK TO EACH OF THOSE 3 ISSUES AND THEN WE'LL GO INTO IN-PERSON PUBLIC ON THE WHERE INDIVIDUALS SHOW UP AND SIGN UP WILL AN OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE A 2 MINUTE ONE-WAY COMMENT EXPLAIN EITHER THEIR FAMILY.

THERE IT IS OR RECOMMENDATIONS THAT THEY MIGHT HALF WHERE THE COMMISSION AND ULTIMATELY, YOU KNOW, WE UNDERSTAND THAT THE PUBLIC INPUT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO US.

IT SERVES AS ONE OF THE CORE PILLARS OF INPUT TO BOTH OUR FARM REPORT.

WILL RECOMMEND ISSUES WE WILL CONSIDER IN SENIOR TO THE ILLINOIS STATE LEGISLATURE EXPERTISE COMES IN MANY FORMS AND THE COMMISSION, ALTHOUGH IT'S COMPRISED OF MANY SUBJECT MATTER, VIRTS.

WE RECOGNIZE THE LIMITATIONS OF OUR WHOLE NOT MUCH.

WE VALUE THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF CITIZENS OF ILLINOIS PARTICULARLY THE LIVED EXPERIENCES CITIZENS FROM THE HEART COMMUNITY.

ALSO WELL, SORRY, I JUST WANT TO GET DANIEL DAVIS IN HERE AS WELL, BECAUSE AS YOU MENTIONED, YOU'RE GOING TO BE SPEAKING SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THE ROLE OF SLAVERY IN ILLINOIS.

I THINK A LOT OF FOLKS TO BE SURPRISED TO LEARN THAT THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED HERE.

YOU KNOW, USUALLY WHEN PEOPLE THINK OF SLAVERY, ONE FIRST MOST PEOPLE DON'T KNOW ENOUGH ABOUT SLAVERY, RIGHT?

PEOPLE MAY FEEL THEY KNOW, BUT THEY DON'T REALLY UNDERSTAND.

EVEN WITH THAT SAID, PEOPLE USUALLY THINK IT WAS IN THE SOUTH ONLY RIGHT NOW.

YES, IT WAS HEAVILY CONCENTRATED IN THE SO BUT NORTHERN SLAVERY WAS A REAL THING.

ILLINOIS WAS ALSO GUILTY OF THE SAME BEGINNING IN 17, 20 ALL THE WAY UNTIL EMANCIPATION.

THERE WAS A LOT OF SLAVERY IN ILLINOIS.

SO TO PIGGYBACK OF WHAT HE WAS STATING ABOUT, CONTEMPORARY ISSUES, RIGHT, AFRICAN AMERICANS ARE FACING IN THE STATE.

WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THE CONNECTION BETWEEN SLAVERY IN THE IN THE OTHER THINGS THAT WERE CUT FROM AS A PEOPLE AS AFRICAN-AMERICANS AND HOW THAT PREVENTED US FROM BUILDING GENERATIONAL WEALTH CREATED A SOCIAL ATMOSPHERE WHERE AFRICAN-AMERICANS WERE LOOKED AT AS SECOND-CLASS, EVEN PER CLASS CITIZENS OR LESS THAN HUMAN AND HOW THAT STILL IMPACTS US TODAY.

SO IT'S IMPORTANT THAT PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THAT HISTORY.

AND WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE IN ILLINOIS WHAT YOU SAID?

17, 20?

BECAUSE A LOT OF FOLKS HERE, SLAVERY AND WE IMAGINE OBVIOUSLY PLANTATION SLAVERY.

BUT YOU CAN EXIST LIKE YOU SAID IN A PLACE THAT DID NOT HAVE THE SAME SORT OF PLANTATIONS THAT A MEETING, MISSISSIPPI OR ALABAMA.

ABSOLUTELY.

SO THERE WERE ALSO PLANTATIONS HERE, BUT THERE WAS SALT MINES AND OTHER PLACES WHERE THEY WERE ENSLAVED.

AFRICAN AMERICANS MUCH LIKE THE SOUTH WORKING BACKBREAKING LABOR BEING SOLD, HAVING YOUR CHILDREN.

SO THE WAY FROM YOU BEING WITH BEING SEXUALLY ASSAULTED THE CENTER AND WORKING FOR FREE RIGHT BEING BANNED FROM, YOU KNOW, NORMAL AVENUE SUCCESS THAT OTHER AMERICANS GOT ENJOY SO ALL OF THOSE THINGS HAPPEN ILLINOIS, JUST LIKE MISSISSIPPI, ALABAMA, ANOTHER 7 PLACE AT MANY PEOPLE ARGUE THAT SLAVERY HAPPENED GENERATIONS AGO HUNDREDS OF YEARS AGO.

WHY SHOULD THERE BE REPARATIONS FOR IT TODAY?

WHY SHOULD THE HUMANS THE PEOPLE OF TODAY HAVE TO PAY FOR SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED SO LONG WHAT IS ARGUMENT?

YES, AND THAT IS THE CORE QUESTION, SO BEING BLOCKED FROM BUILDING GENERATIONAL WEALTH TO PASS.

NOW TO YOUR FAMILY, WHAT PEOPLE HAVE TO REALIZE IS THAT WHILE AFRICAN AMERICANS WORKING FOR FREE BEING CUT OFF FROM BUILDING WELL, WHAT AMERICANS THAT OWN SLAVES WERE BUILDING THEIR WEALTH AND THEIR CHILDREN GET TO BENEFIT FROM THAT RIGHT?

WE'VE I'LL BE SPEAKING ABOUT THIS AT THE EVENT, BUT THERE'S EVEN THINGS LIKE MILITARY VOUCHERS THAT WENT DISCUSSED OR THAT ARE DISCUSSED ILLINOIS.

IF YOU ARE A ENSLAVED PERSON, NOBODY IS BORN A SLAVE.

SO WE DON'T LIKE TO USE LATE RIGHT?

IF YOUR ENSLAVED PERSON WAS SENT OFF TO FIGHT IN WAR, YOU'LL BE COMPENSATED FOR THAT.

YOU GET A BUDGET FROM THE GOVERNMENT TO PAY FOR THAT LAST PERSON LOST PROPERTY.

I MEAN, THAT'S A FORM OF REPARATIONS, IF YOU WILL, AND PAY ME.

AND AMONG A LONG LIST OF OTHERS, RIGHT?

SO WE'VE SEEN REPARATIONS FOR WHITE PEOPLE AND OTHERS FOR GENERATIONS.

WHY ARE AFRICAN-AMERICANS EXCLUDED DANIEL FIRST AND THEN MARVIN, BECAUSE WE'VE GOT A LIMITED AMOUNT OF TIMES ARE JUST ABOUT A MINUTE AND A HALF LEFT.

AND WHY DO YOU THINK THE DISCUSSION ON REPARATIONS HAS SHIFTED SO MUCH IN THE LAST 2 YEARS?

THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.

I MEAN, I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, THE WORK THAT MYSELF THE COMMISSION AND OTHERS ARE DOING TO SPREADING THE WORD.

I THINK THAT THE WORD IS GETTING OUT.

MORE PEOPLE ARE REALIZING THAT, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING'S NOT RIGHT HERE THROUGH BY.

SO IT SEEMS HAVE CAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND AFRICANA STUDIES.

BUT THE PUSHING OUT THAT WHERE THAT AFRICAN-AMERICANS ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY IN LOW-INCOME ENVIRONMENTS WHERE DISPROPORTIONATELY FAILING IN SCHOOL DISPROPORTIONATELY HAVING THESE PROBLEMS.

BECAUSE SOMETHING'S WRONG WITH US.

AS A PEOPLE, THERE ARE CAUSAL MACRO LEVEL MICRO LEVEL.

HISTORICAL FACT IS THAT PUT US IN THIS POSITION AND I THINK THAT WHERE TO START TO SPREAD I'M HAPPY TO SEE MARVIN COUPLE SECONDS LEFT.

YOU KNOW, ONCE UPON A TIME, YOU KNOW, TALKING ABOUT REPARATIONS WAS A NON-STARTER.

WHAT DO YOU THINK THAT CONVERSATION HAS SHIFTED?

YOU KNOW, I THINK BE PRIMARILY BECAUSE OF THE BILL IS SHARING OF THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF THOSE FROM THE IMPACT, THE COMMUNITY INTO THAT.

AND I CAN'T STRESS CANNOT KNOW, STRESSED THE IMPORTANCE SHOWING UP THE SHARING THAT LIVED EXPERIENCE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HOW REPARATIONS SHOULD BE IMPLEMENTED IN ILLINOIS AND WHY THIS ISSUE IS SO VITAL TO THE IMPACT THE COMMUNITY.

ALL RIGHT.

WE LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING MORE ABOUT THESE HEARINGS AS THEY GO ON.

AND OF