Chicago Pastor and Project H.O.O.D. founder Corey Brooks has some pointed questions for Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson about his reparations task force. Brooks asks, “Where are the reparations for all Blacks killed in shootings in my neighborhood and elsewhere in the city? Where are the reparations for the city’s failure to produce adequate protection for its residents? Where are the reparations for the city’s failure to provide adequate schooling to inspire kids toward the American Dream instead of nihilistic violence? And where are the reparations for the city’s woke legal system that puts the interest of violent criminals above the interests of the city’s hardworking citizens?” Most of all, Brooks questions why Johnson’s administration refuses to support the massive Leadership and Economic Opportunity Center he’s building on the South Side, a project aimed at improving the community through American principles.
These questions arose after Mayor Johnson announced a $500,000 commitment to a “Reparations Task Force to develop a Black Reparations Agenda.” The executive order claims the nation and city “perpetuated, condoned, profited and benefited” from slavery and Jim Crow policies from 1877 to 1963. Johnson attributes racial disparities in life expectancy, unemployment, homeownership, incarceration, and other areas to these policies. However, Brooks argues Johnson conveniently ignores the impact of liberal policies on his neighborhood since the 1960s, policies he believes have had a devastating effect.
Brooks points to the decline of Michelle Obama’s former neighborhood, Parkway Gardens, as evidence of this impact. He asserts that the community, once a working-class area, has become a housing project due to liberal policies that he argues disincentivized marriage, encouraged dependency on government programs, and undermined personal responsibility. He believes these policies have turned Black communities into a shadow of their former selves.
Brooks argues that the reparations argument is not truly about slavery or segregation, but rather a way to mask the negative consequences of liberalism on Black communities. He emphasizes his personal experience living in these communities for over two decades, witnessing the devastating effects of violence, failing schools, and a flawed criminal justice system. He criticizes Johnson for seeming to ignore the realities of the last 60 years and instead focusing on historical injustices.
Brooks highlights his own decision to reject the path of liberalism and embrace American principles, which he believes are universal and not limited to any specific race. He has spent 12 years building a community center based on these principles, aiming to provide a space for Black communities to flourish. He believes that Johnson’s focus on historical reparations is a form of gaslighting, preventing real progress and extending the suffering of Black people. He calls for an end to what he considers a “shucking-and-jiving act for liberals” and a shift towards a more realistic approach to tackling the challenges faced by Black communities.
