Brown tells Reimagine Oregon she is working on Black reparations April 02 2021 Gov. Kate Brown said she is laying the groundwork for paying reparations to Black Oregonians. Brown made the comment during an online Reimagine Oregon meeting with elected officials throughout the state and other community leaders Friday, April 2. Reimagine Oregon is an advocacy organization formed following the death of George Floyd to press state, regional and local governments to eliminate systemic racism. The noon meeting was scheduled to update the progress on promises made by elected officials last year. In brief remarks, Brown said she was studying what was happening in the Chicago suburb of Evanston, Illinois, which is 16% Black. The City Council there has committed $10 million over 10 years to repairing the ongoing harm that systemic racism has caused the city's Black residents, starting with a housing initiative. The council voted Monday, March 22, to allocate $400,000 to give 16 eligible Black households $25,000 each to be spent on home repairs or down payments on property. The funds come from new taxes on legalized marijuana.