CAIRO, Ill. (WSIL) -- An Illinois city's historic move to grant reparations for Black residents is creating conversation on the opposite side of the state.
Last , the city of Evanston voted 8-1 to distribute $400,000 to eligible Black households.
About 400 miles south in Cairo, a city with a past of its own, Bishop Derek Eurales says residents could benefit from reparations.
Eurales, born in February 1951, was raised in Cairo where he experienced racism firsthand on a daily basis. He serves as a pastor and still lives in the city, despite what he experienced growing up.
Eurales remembers when a local swimming pool popular with Black children was closed and filled with dirt.
"When they did allow us in the swimming pool, we had a good time," Eurales said. "A lot of our children drowned in the Ohio River because that was the only place where they had the opportunity to boat and swim."
When they went to movie theaters, Eurales said they were forced to sit in places where they didn't have the luxury of being in a cooler area.
"We had to sit upstairs on the balcony. It was hot up in the balcony," Eurales said.
Eurales believes reparations are a start. But he feels cities should also focus on taking accountability instead of relying on money to fix issues of racism that have lasted for generations.
"We need a change in how we as people are viewed. We need, most of all, an apology along with equality," Eurales said. "It's the character of the whole matter. It's the change of attitude."
