FirstRepair
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FirstRepair was founded by Robin Rue Simmons, a former Evanston, Illinois alderman, and architect of the nation’s first government-funded reparations program.
Workshops, research, and developing models to advance reparations for local government bodies. FirstRepair was founded by Robin Rue Simmons, a former Evanston, Illinois alderman and the architect of the nation’s first government-funded reparations program. Robin’s “solutions only” leadership style has inspired the services of FirstRepair, including sharing best practices, creating tools, and developing a viable model to advance local reparations policy. Our knowledge network includes seasoned experts and social innovators with a proven commitment to reparations, racial justice, and Black community empowerment. Our services include workshops, educational symposiums, research, stakeholder development, and policy design for local government bodies and institutions. ABOUT OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR:
Robin Rue Simmons is the Founder and Executive Director of FirstRepair, a new not-for-profit organization that supports local reparations nationally. She is the former 5th Ward Alderman for the City of Evanston, IL, where she led, in collaboration with others, the passage of the nation’s first municipal-funded reparations legislation. Rue Simmons was born and raised in the segregated 5th Ward of Evanston, a city of 75,000 on the shores of Lake Michigan on the northern border of Chicago.
09/18/2026
Join us for our monthly Reparations Strategy Session with Lowell Taylor and Rev. Dr. Michael Nabors next Thursday, September 24 at 12:30 pm CST!
Reparations Strategy Sessions aim to support and expand the work of local and municipal reparations activists. Together, we are creating a broad consensus around racial redress and securing reparations across the country.
Click on the link below to register:
https://firstrepair-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/5iiZ6CLoSoCoc44CYvEIvw #/registration
09/17/2026
On Friday, September 25, Evanston Cradle 2 Career and Her Rising are bringing young people and the community together for the first-ever Civic Fest — creating space to learn, connect, participate and understand how civic life shapes our communities.
From legislation and policy to games, food, prizes and conversations about the midterm elections, the message is simple: Your voice matters.
Your participation matters... And building the future requires all of us.
Location: Gibbs-Morrison Cultural Center
Date: Friday, September 25
Time: 2:30–4:30 PM
Come learn... Come connect… Come build.
09/16/2026
Harambee Circle is coming to Evanston !
A three-part series supporting teens and families as they navigate change, education and what comes next.
Led by educator and strategist Amber Bolden, each gathering creates space for practical guidance, honest conversation, shared experiences and turning ideas into achievable next steps.
Date: September 22 • October 20 • November 17
Time: 7:00–8:00 PM
Location: National Resource Center for State + Local Reparations, 1900 Asbury Ave., Evanston, IL
If you’re a teen, parent, caregiver, or family member thinking about life after high school, this is a space to ask questions, explore possibilities and plan forward.
09/16/2026
This October, join us for Black Business Marketplace (BBM). Supporting Black businesses is one way we build stronger communities and keep resources circulating among our people. Bring a friend and come through this October, Come shop… Come listen… Come connect... Come support.
Date: Saturday, October 3, 2026
Time: 11 AM–2 PM
Location: National Resource Center for State & Local Reparations
1900 Asbury Ave, Evanston, IL
Entry is Free!!!
09/01/2026
Join FirstRepair this Saturday for our Black Business Marketplace… A space to support, network, discover and invest in Black-owned businesses, while learning practical strategies for building generational wealth.
Date: Saturday September 5, 2026
Time: 11:00am - 2:00pm
Location: National Resource Center for State & Local Reparations (1900 Asbury Ave, Evanston, IL)
Entry is free.
08/29/2026
We look forward to fellowshipping with you today as we commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the Durban 400 Declaration.
All are welcome to join us as we honor the legacy, leadership and continued work of the Durban 400.
Date: Today, August 29, 2026
Time: 1–4 PM CST
Location: Carruthers Center — NEIU
Learn more:
https://durbanreparations.org/?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAdGRleAT_4VJwZG9mAmZkaWQWUNa0YMWlS99at0dzQeb7mi884ZX4M2V4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDzEyNDAyNDU3NDI4NzQxNAABp91ujJvdRHgvblryGRXr49SxUzg0V_sTk-u0hb0P7N2Dv0kuaMTwciTOXdEa_aem_rzbPlSX_dlNjL4FhXIbb4g
08/28/2026
63 years ago today, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stood before hundreds of thousands at the March on Washington and spoke of a promise yet to be fulfilled.
He described that promise as a “promissory note”—and the failure to honor it as a check marked “insufficient funds.”
The distinction remains important today: acknowledgment is not repair. Apology is not repair.
Repair requires action. It requires remedies. It requires addressing the conditions that created and continue to reproduce harm—and producing meaningful outcomes.
As we mark the anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington and the movement continuing in Washington today, we are reminded that the work is not simply to remember the promise.
It is to make the promise real.
LEARN MORE:
Dr. King’s I Have a Dream speech:
https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/i-have-dream
1995 Southern Baptist Convention Resolution on Racial Reconciliation:
https://www.sbc.net/resource-library/resolutions/resolution-on-racial-reconciliation-on-the-150th-anniversary-of-the-southern-baptist-convention/
March on Washington 2026: Defend the Vote:
https://marchonwashington2026.com/
08/27/2026
Join FirstRepair today for this month’s Reparations Strategy Session featuring Roger Wareham, Esq., Human Rights Lawyer & Political Activist, as we commemorate 25 years of the Durban Declaration and reflect on its continuing relevance to the reparations movement.
Date: Today, Thursday, August 27, 2026
Time: 12:30–1:30 PM CST
Zoom Registration Link: https://firstrepair-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/5iiZ6CLoSoCoc44CYvEIvw
This session is presented by FirstRepair, in partnership with the Braxton Institute, Black-Eyed Susans Reparations Convening, Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center, African American Redress Network and International Service for Human Rights.
08/26/2026
New to the reparations conversation? Start here.
In this video, Dr. Jeffrey Trask offers an accessible introduction to understanding reparations and why this work matters.
For those beginning to explore the history, policy and movement for repair, conversations like this can help provide context and a foundation for deeper learning. Dr. Trask holds many leadership roles in the reparations community including Midwest Regional Leadership at FirstRepair.org.
Watch, listen and continue the conversation.
🎥 Watch the full video: https://youtu.be/qYF611i53j0
Jeffrey Trask… thank you for helping to advance education and action around reparations.
Dr Jeffrey Trask Dr Jeffrey Trask of the CU Reparations Coalition presented Reparati...
08/25/2026
Last week, the FirstRepair team joined community leaders and partners in Evanston for the Northwestern University ANCHOR Grants kick-off.
ANCHOR — Advancing Neighborhood & Community Health, Opportunity & Resilience — creates space for Northwestern and community-based organizations to work together to address longstanding social, economic and structural barriers and advance solutions shaped by the communities themselves.
We value opportunities that bring institutions and community leaders together around shared goals, meaningful partnership and lasting change.
Thank you to Northwestern for creating space for this important work and for recognizing the power of community-led solutions.
Learn more:
https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2026/06/northwestern-funds-support-12-community-programs-dedicated-to-health-opportunity-and-resilience
www.northwestern.edu
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Evanston, IL
60201
Opening Hours
| Monday | 9am - 5pm |
| Tuesday | 9am - 5pm |
| Wednesday | 9am - 5pm |
| Thursday | 9am - 5pm |
| Friday | 9am - 5pm |