An Illinois city has become the first in America to embark upon a reparations program for its Black residents after its local council approved the implementation of its first such initiative to tackle the legacy of slavery.

Late on Monday night aldermen in Evanston – a suburban community in Chicago – voted to approve the Local Reparations Restorative Housing Program, a $400,000 housing grant program.

Designed to address the inequality gap and ongoing impact of slavery on African Americans in the city, Evanston’s reparations program will be funded with sales taxes on recreational marijuana. Under this plan, up to $10m of the sales tax would go towards reparations over the next decade.

Spearheaded by alderman Rue Simmons, the program was developed alongside the city’s equity and empowerment commission in 2019. It is believed to be the first reparation program with guaranteed funding.

The housing grant will award eligible residents up to $25,000, which can be used for a “home down payment or closing cost assistance within the city; [to] help pay for repairs, improvements or modernizations of an Evanston property; or [to] help pay down mortgage principal, interest or late penalties on Evanston property,” according to a memo obtained by the Chicago Tribune.