After debating whether to establish reparations for state-descendants of African Americans for almost a year, California has finally proposed a number of measures for reparations.
With the passage of this legislative package, California becomes the first state to enact laws intended to compensate African Americans and descendants of slaves whose lives were negatively impacted by segregation and other racist practices throughout California’s history.
Legislative Black Caucus of the state introduced the package on Wednesday, Politico reported. It contains fourteen measures that “touch on education, civil rights, and criminal justice, including reviving a years-old effort to restrict solitary confinement that failed to make it out of the statehouse as recently as last year.”
‘CREATIVE’ METHOD TO PAY $14 TRILLION IN REPARATIONS EXPLAINED BY ‘SQUAD’ LAWMAKER: “MENTAL
Nevertheless, the package omitted one of the most contentious reparations recommendations considered by the state’s Reparations Task Force, which was tasked with advising lawmakers on the most effective way to carry out reparations. The bill does not address giving monetary payments to people who were historically discriminated against by the government, such as descendants of slaves.
Last year, the task force’s recommendation to provide cash compensation to Black citizens based on the kind of discrimination their family had experienced in the past grabbed headlines.
For example, the panel estimated that Black Californians who were subjected to bank redlining between the early 1930s and the late 1970s may get up to $148,099, or $3,366 for each year they resided in the state.
At the time, Democratic Governor of California Gavin Newsom rejected to accept cash payments but did commend the Reparations Task Force’s work.
“The independent findings and recommendations of the Reparations Task Force are a milestone in our bipartisan effort to advance justice and promote healing,” he said to Fox News Digital in May of last year. We should keep working as a society to atone for our original sin of slavery and comprehend how that past has influenced our nation. This has been a significant journey.”
