FirstRepair envisions a just society where Black people are liberated, thriving, and repaired. FirstRepair supports community organizations, local government and other relevant institutions and bodies in successfully implementing tangible reparations through local efforts. We do this by synchronizing and equipping local leaders; building a national movement for local reparations; and demonstrating life with repair.
Founded in 2021, FirstRepair is led by Robin Rue Simmons, former Evanston, Illinois alderman and the architect of the nation’s first government-funded reparations program. FirstRepair has provided support to more than 100 communities engaged in local initiatives; established the National Symposium for State and Local Reparations, the signature convening for the local reparations movement that coalesces over 300 local leaders from across the country; built four regional networks with local leadership hosting monthly strategy sessions; and launched the National Resource Center for State and Local Reparations in Evanston, IL.
Together with our partners, we help local leaders explore, plan, and take concrete steps to advance reparations. We are the primary resource for legislative bodies, committees, taskforces and commissions, elected leaders, and reparations practitioners, seeking information, support, and community for policy solutions that advance a repaired world. We are also the go-to partner for community advocates, interfaith and lay leaders, academics and researchers, activists and racial justice leaders committed to reparatory justice.