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 devel
oping 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.
