Evanston committee hears proposal to pilot DNA genealogy program funded by $500,000 state appropriation

The Evanston Reparations Committee on April 3 heard a presentation on a state-funded DNA genealogy pilot intended to help people trace family links formed during the transatlantic slave trade.

Dr. Lakeisha David, a researcher with a background at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Illinois, told the committee the project has a state appropriation of $500,000 and that organizers intend to distribute roughly 500 test kits as part of an initial pilot. She said participation would cost residents nothing and that the program will use tiered consent and university oversight to address ethical and privacy concerns.

The pilot aims to generate family-linkage trees from DNA results and to offer options for in-person kit collection at local sites, mailed kits with…