IBW21/NAARC – National African American Reparations Commission

November 22, 2023 — Robin Rue Simmons, Executive Director of FirstRepairand Dr. Ron Daniels, Convener of the National African American Reparations Commission (NAARC) announced today that community stakeholders, reparations advocates, scholars, public interest lawyers, elected officials and representatives of government from around the country are slated to attend the Third Annual National Symposium for State and Local Reparations November 30th – December 2nd in Evanston, IL  The goal of the Symposium is to continue building a national network of local and state reparatory justice initiatives to promote information-sharing, networking and collaboration to strengthen the reparations movement in the U.S. The network will be linked to a Local Reparations Resource Center in Evanston administered by FirstRepair.

Invitations to the Symposium are limited to facilitate a rich learning/sharing experience among the participants during discussions about the obstacles, challenges and opportunities, failures and successes of developing local and state reparatory justice initiatives. FirstRepair and NAARC have also arranged for presentations by resource persons in various fields who will provide useful information on developing local and state reparations initiatives. In addition, FirstRepair has developed a Tool Kit on local reparations that will be shared with participants. The Orrington Hilton is the host hotel and venue for the Symposium.

Attendance/participation in the proceedings at the Orrington Hotel is by invitation only. However, a major highlight of the Symposium each year is the National Town Hall Meeting which is free and open to the public. This year’s Town Hall Meeting will be held at the historic Second Avenue Baptist Church, 1717 Benson Avenue, 7:30 PM (Doors open at 7:00 PM) hosted by Rev. Dr. Michael Nabors, Senior Pastor and President of the North Shore NAACP. 

The goal of the Town Hall Meeting is to provide the community at-large with an opportunity to meet and greet the Participants from the Symposium from around the country and hear up to date information on the Evanston, U.S. and global reparations movement. FirstRepair and NAARC have assembled a stellar assembly of panelists for what promises to be a powerful Town Hall Meeting. 

• Laleta Davis Mattis, Chairperson of the Jamaica Reparations Commission, Kingston, Jamaica
• New York State Senator James Sanders, Queens, NY
• Julianne Malveaux, President Emeritus, Bennett College for Women, Washington, DC
• Avera Martin, Esq., Noted Civil Rights/Human Rights Attorney, Los Angeles, CA
• Sheila Y. Flemming, Co-Chair, Social Action Committee, Atlanta Alumnae Chapter, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Atlanta, GA
• Kamm Howard, Executive Director, Reparations United, Chicago, IL
• Jessica Ann Mitchell Aiwuyor, Founder/Executive Director, National Black Cultural Information Trust, Washington, DC  
• Robin Rue Simmons, Executive Director, FirstRepair
• Ron Daniels, Convener, NAARC, Moderator

The Town Hall Meeting is Free and Open to the Public. For Further Information Call 847.563.8579

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About the National African American Reparations Commission

Convened by the Institute of the Black World 21st Century (ibw21.org),

NAARC is a group of distinguished professionals from across the country with outstanding accomplishments in the fields of law, medicine, journalism, academia, history, civil rights and social justice advocacy.

Learn more — reparationscomm.org

Donate — reparationscomm.org/donate