Chicago siblings each receive $25,000 in reparations after their names are picked from BINGO CAGE
A pair of Chicago siblings will receive $25,000 in reparations – as part of an American city’s first attempt to make amends financially with its black residents.
Evanston residents Kenneth Wideman, 77, and Shelia Wideman, 75, are set to collect the amounts in the coming weeks — two years after their names along with 16 others were randomly selected from a bingo cage as part of the new program.
While others received their reparations in a timely manner, the Widemans were somewhat let down—because of program architects’ decision to forego direct payouts in lieu of grants to address diminished black homeownership.
Since the siblings don’t own property, they didn’t qualify for two of the three repayment options — to use the $25,000 for mortgage payments or home repairs.
The third option was a down payment on a new house – a choice the siblings flouted in favor of cash. For months they besieged members of the commission and the city to reconsider their provisions, throwing them out this month.
Scroll down for video:
For months, Evanston resident Kenneth Wideman (seen here at a recent reparations committee meeting) besieged the city to reconsider provisions banning cash disbursements, prompting them to ditch it this month
Those calls, made by an emotional Kenneth while holding a cane he needed to walk, apparently influenced the relatively new reparations commission, leading them to decide to issue the first monetary reparations in U.S. history.
‘I have no property; my sister has no property and we were on the list,” older brother Kenneth said during a public comment section of an Evanston reparation meeting earlier this year.
“I came here this morning to ask the committee, the people in charge, if you can make some changes or help my sister and me get something out of the reparations before we’re eliminated,” the disabled veteran explained.
Days earlier, he had learned that the reparations he and his sister had received would expire in March.
He went on to point out a flaw in the largely experimental program — which comes as other similar councils in states like California ponder their own recovery policies and how to dole out the payments.
Dressed in a Vietnam veteran’s cap, Wideman explained how he was happy in his one-bedroom rental in the city’s downtown area — where repairs aren’t his responsibility — and didn’t want to be forced to buy a home just to pay his reparations to get.
“Maybe everyone got their money,” he told the committee about the 14 other repayments.
“We didn’t receive anything because we don’t have any property, and I just want some kind of eventual reparations, in a form that will help my sister and me.”
Those calls, made by an emotional Kenneth while holding a cane he needed to walk, apparently influenced the relatively new reparations commission – formed in 2019 – to decide to issue the first monetary reparations in US history.
The group, made up of both residents and city council members, has now selected a fourth option for Evanston’s more than 650 black residents whose reparations could be included in the next set of repayments.
That option will allow residents to opt for cash over grants — a decision Kenneth celebrated in an interview with the Chicago Tribune published Monday, as he and his sister, who also walks with a cane, are now ready to bring in the money.
Thanks to Kenneth and his sister, the group, made up of both residents and members of the city council, has now come up with a fourth option for Evanston’s more than 650 black residents whose reparations could be included in the next set of repayments.
The largely experimental program and presiding committee comes as other similar councils in states like California are considering their own recovery policies — and have been thinking about how the payments should be made
Speaking to the paper not far from her brother’s second-floor apartment, Shelia said she was grateful the city was reconsidering their initial policy, adding that she hopes it will spread to others still waiting for it. their chance to collect.
“Maybe they can somehow get ahead in life, do something they’d like to do in life,” Shelia explained. “And maybe they’ll forget what happened and move on.”
As for Kenneth, he’s glad he doesn’t have to part with his spacious one-bedroom apartment, about ten miles from Chicago, where the responsibility for maintaining the house rests with his landlord.
“This is how I like it,” explained the 77-year-old – who lives two blocks from Shelia and regularly takes her to the doctor. ‘Just a home is a home. It is very nice.’
More importantly, he said if there’s a problem with the place’s water heater or his front driveway needs shovelling, all he has to do is call the construction crew – so he can “watch them do the work” .
The program was first approved in March 2021 and provides grants of up to $25,000 for black residents. Since then, however, only 650 residents have signed up — less than five percent of the roughly 12,500 black residents living in the satellite city.
Still, 650 $25,000 refunds is no small task for any city — and committee members chose to get around this problem by randomly drawing balls from a lottery-like machine in January.
Each of the balls had a number printed on it that corresponded to a person confirmed by the city as an “ancestor” – a black resident of Evanston between 1919 and 1969.
The method received some criticism at the time for its lack of tact, but was praised by several residents who hope to be selected next time.
Wideman — who rents rather than owns like his sister — explained how happy he was in his one-bedroom rental in the center of town — where repairs aren’t his responsibility. He and his sister had argued that they didn’t want to be forced to buy a house just to get the money
However, the date of the next draw remains unclear – as well as whether committee members will again use the bingo cage when making their decision.
As for the siblings, they have yet to receive the money – and aren’t sure how they’ll spend it when it inevitably comes.
“I might have an idea of what I’d like, but I don’t want to say it because I don’t have it — my hands are empty now,” said Shelia
Kenneth said he’s still considering the options, but would like to put some on the couch for his grandchildren and use the rest for rent or furniture.