Welcome, Illinois residents!

The African Descent-Citizens Reparations Commission (ADCRC) was created to research Illinois’ historical involvement in slavery and its enduring impact, and develop legislative recommendations to promote restoration and reparative justice.

Before completing the survey, we encourage you to review the executive summary of Taking Account: A History of Racial Harm & Injustice Against Black Illinoisans to better understand the context and recommendations: adcrc.illinois.gov/reports.

The ADCRC has officially adopted a motion to develop two recommendations:
1) To create a Data Disaggregation Bill that creates an ethnic category for descendants of slavery and requires every state agency to collect and report this data.
2) The creation of an Office for Descendants of US Chattel Slavery that is responsible for genealogical tracing and verification of descendants who are Illinois citizens.

Please note: Participation in this survey does not guarantee that specific responses will be adopted. All input will be reviewed as part of the commission’s deliberative process.

This survey is estimated to take 10- 15 minutes.

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* 1. Are you currently a resident of Illinois?

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* 2. Have you ever lived in Illinois?

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* 3. Please enter your Illinois zip code.

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* 4. Do you see yourself as a descendant of people who were enslaved in the United States as a result of chattel slavery?

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* 5. Although Illinois entered the Union as a free state, it maintained laws and practices that supported slavery, racial exclusion, and their lasting impacts.

Do you think the state should acknowledge this history and consider compensating descendants of those harmed by chattel enslavement?

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* 6. How do you feel about Illinois creating a state reparations program?

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* 7. What are your feelings on cash payments as a form of reparations?

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* 8. Please rank the following policy ideas in order of how well they could address the harm caused by slavery to enslaved people and their descendants in Illinois, with your highest-priority choice ranked #1.

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* 9. Please rank the following policy ideas in order of how well they could address the harm caused by racial violence and terror against enslaved people and their descendants in Illinois, with your highest-priority choice ranked #1.

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* 10. Please rank the following policy ideas in order of how well they could address the harm caused by unfair voting laws and the loss of political rights for descendants of enslaved people in Illinois, with your highest-priority choice ranked #1.

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* 11. Please rank the following policy ideas in order of how well they could address the harm caused by stolen labor against descendants of enslaved people in Illinois, with your highest-priority choice ranked #1.

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* 12. Please rank the following policy ideas in order of how well they could address harms related to policing and the court system for descendants of enslaved people in Illinois, with your highest-priority choice ranked #1.

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* 13. Please rank the following policy ideas in order of how well they could address housing-related harms experienced by descendants of enslaved people in Illinois, with your highest-priority choice ranked #1.

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* 14. Please rank the following policy ideas in order of how well they could address education-related harms experienced by descendants of enslaved people in Illinois, with your highest-priority choice ranked #1.

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* 15. Please rank the following policy ideas in order of how well they could address harms affecting Black families among descendants of enslaved people in Illinois, with your highest-priority choice ranked #1.

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* 16. Please rank the following policy ideas in order of how well they could address physical health-related harms experienced by descendants of enslaved people in Illinois, with your highest-priority choice ranked #1.

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* 17. Please rank the following policy areas in order of how well they could address environmental health-related harms experienced by descendants of enslaved people in Illinois, with your highest-priority choice ranked #1.

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* 18. Please rank the following policy areas in order of how well they could address mental health-related harms experienced by descendants of enslaved people in Illinois, with your highest-priority choice ranked #1.

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* 19. If you have additional ideas for repair of the harms detailed in the ADCRC Harm Report please feel free to submit policy ideas to the ADCRC at adcrc.comment@illinois.gov or expand on your idea below.

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