Howard Ray’s father, Howard Ray Sr., left, and his wife, Mary, get a signature from Laighton Scott, of Maywood, on June 19, 2024, in Hillside on a petition to put a reparations referendum on the ballot. Below the blazing sun on Juneteenth, Howard Ray flagged down cars stopped at a red light by a corner in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood. He stepped into the street and waved, clipboard in hand.A few rolled down their windows, intrigued. Most nodded politely before driving away.
“People talk about reparations,” Ray said. “We’re actually doing it. We’re not talking, we’re doing it. This is something that we’re putting into action.” While policies stem from lawmakers, grassroots efforts are at the core of the reparations movement, according to Kamm Howard, the executive director of Chicago-based nonprofit Reparations United. Community work like Ray’s allows officials to gauge public opinion on issues, he said.
“We can’t stop pushing for things that may seem radical or unattainable, just because they’re radical,” Howard said. “We have to push forward.” Even with his parents at his side, Ray concedes that the petition’s future is uncertain. And other aspects of the proposed policy remain unclear, such as how Chicagoans would prove their ancestry.