The hope — and risk — of local reparations

Local governments and universities are taking reparations into their own hands. But can these efforts be successful or enough?

In Evanston, Illinois, where redlining excluded the city’s Black residents from homeownership, 16 Black families — randomly selected from 600 who applied — were given tax-free grants this year to be used toward a home.

California launched its reparations task force in 2021, to determine how the state can compensate Black Californians descended from those formerly enslaved.

Dozens of colleges and universities, including Georgetown, Brown, and Harvard, are facing pressure from students to examine their ties to...