Progressive Chicago Activists Push for $1 Billion in Reparations

A group of University of Chicago students are continuing their campaign for their university to pay over $1 billion in reparations to Chicago’s South Side.

University of Chicago Against Displacement (UCAD), an anti-gentrification student club, hosted an open house event on Thursday.

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In February, the club had asked for $1 billion in reparations in grant funding for “long-term true affordable housing” from the university’s administration. The organization believes the money should be given to the city’s South Side over 20 years to prevent displacement.

“The University exists as a legacy of chattel slavery,” UCAD’s Chicago Maroon op-ed read. “Moreover, it has been an active participant in segregation, redlining, and supporting developments that work to isolate the University from its neighbors and put Southsiders at risk of displacement {snip}”

The group also advocated for a $20 million annual fund for rental assistance, as well as expanding low-income housing and supporting STEM programs at local schools.

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