An inspiring look at Alderman Robin Rue Simmons’ fight to redress the wrongs of “redlining” and the legacy of slavery through a groundbreaking reparations program in Evanston, Illinois.

FirstRepair Founder and Executive Director Robin Rue Simmons is featured in this 88-minute documentary directed by award-winning filmmakers Erika Alexander, and Whitney Dow of Color Farm Media. This transparent and educational film continues to be an invaluable tool in advancing local reparations and enlightening viewers on the history and possibilities of reparations for the legacies of slavery in the United States.

The Big Payback premiered at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival, was a featured program of PBS for the 2023 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. The film is available on Amazon Prime and is showing on American Airlines flights in Spring 2025. The Big Payback continues to be an invaluable tool in advancing local reparations and enlightening viewers on the history and possibilities of reparations.