Chicago Mayor Pushes Slavery Reparations Again with New Task Force Plan

Johnson's plan to spend public money subsidizing an entire community based on race alone smacks of political pandering.

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Chicago Democratic Mayor Brandon Johnson has pushed for slavery reparations over and over again since he took over City Hall and this month, he took up the issue again with the announcement of a new "task force" aimed at coming up with recommendations for how he can lavish tax dollars on the black community supposedly to somehow make up for slavery. Chicago, of course, never had slavery.

Johnson took the opportunity of his Juneteenth address to pander to Chicago's black community by announcing the $500,000 funding for his task force that was added to the straining budget negotiations earlier this year.

During his address, the mayor rolled out a practiced phrase meant to excite Chicago's black community by insisting "investing in blacks is not a crime."

Of course, it actually is a crime of sorts, when a government uses everyone's tax dollars to buoy only one segment of the citizenry — based on race exclusively — rather than benefitting residents equally.

Johnson also published an executive order laying out his task force plan.

"The Task Force will conduct a comprehensive study and examination of all policies that have harmed Black Chicagoans from the slavery era to present day and make a series of recommendations that will serve as appropriate remedies," City Hall noted in a June 17 press release.

"Today’s Executive Order is not just a public declaration; it is a pledge to shape the future of our city by confronting the legacy of inequity that has plagued Chicago for far too long," Johnson said.

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Johnson added:

"In partnership with the Chicago City Council Black Caucus and our dedicated allies, we are continuing to build on the bedrock of my administration to move forward in reconciliation through targeted investments aimed at rectifying decades of deliberate disinvestment in Black neighborhoods and communities."

"These decisive actions move us beyond words and are a testament to my administration taking on the responsibility of this work. Thank you to all for your unwavering dedication that has brought us to this pivotal moment toward a more just and equitable Chicago for all."

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The mayor has some ambitions plans for reparations. Johnson wants to offer housing subsidies to African Americans, wants to give free money to black-owned businesses, and even wants set asides for healthcare. The mayor also wants to host a big showy event where black citizens will come in and give "testimonials" about how slavery has hurt them, despite that it has been more than 150 years since slavery existed.

Johnson's ultimate goal with the task force is to "Make a series of recommendations that will serve as appropriate remedies and restitution for past injustices and present harm consistent with international standards." He also plans to come up with ways to re-educate Chicagoans on why all these handouts to blacks for an institution that never existed in their city are a good thing.

The plan is not sitting well with everyone.

Johnson critic Alderman Nick Sposato (38) insists that the $500,000 set aside for the task force could be better spent on less divisive ideas.

"It's too divisive, it's gonna divide us even more. I don't know what the fairness about it would be. Maybe the report will say it's unnecessary, but I highly doubt that," Sposato said.

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Now, obviously, this is all a desperate attempt by Johnson to reingratiate himself with his own base. This mayor, despite being ushered into office on the shoulders of black voters, has one of the lowest favorability ratings among blacks of any big city mayor.

The latest poll by 2040 Strategy Group shows that Johnson is seen favorably by a mere 30 percent of black voters. While this latest poll numbers reveal that Johnson fares better than his unprecedented 6.6 percent approval from February 2025, his 30 percent approval among blacks still place him at rock bottom for a black mayor in a famously black city.

The poll also finds that 28 percent of black voters outright disapprove of him and an additional 43 percent have "mixed" feelings.

Johnson can be blamed for all of this, naturally, thanks to the $1 billion in city tax dollars he has lavished on Joe Biden's flood of illegal aliens. Johnson showered illegals with money, giving them free healthcare, free housing, free food, free clothes, schooling and more. And where did he get much of this cash? By stealing it away from Chicago's black residents.

To accomodate illegal aliens, Johnson shut down black spaces to give them to illegals, he shut down schools in black areas to let illegals use them as hotels, he turned black residents out of community centers and other public spaces to give them to illegals. And he infuriated his own constituency in the doing.

Alderwoman Emma Mitts (37) put it succinctly in a recent interview, saying:

"I'll be doggone, I don't see the Black folks getting that kind of help. I don't see my kids and my children and my neighborhood getting that type of support."

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So, clearly this whole "reparations" business is a desperate attempt to get his base back. And remember, the next mayoral election is on February 23, 2027. If Johnson hasn’t gotten the black community back under his thumb by February 2026, he may was well retire from office. That is what this is all about.

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Follow Warner Todd Huston on Facebook at: Warner Todd Huston | Facebook, X at @WTHuston, or Truth Social at @WarnerToddHuston.

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Featured image: “Fallen Sign” by SHYCITYNikon, CC BY-NC 2.0