The California Reparations Task Force has voted in favor of a $1.2 million reparations payment to be made to all qualifying Black citizens in the state, and an $800 billion package of recommendations for the state legislature to consider.
California Reparations Task Force approves $1.2 million in payments to Black citizens and $800 billion in recommendations
The panel was set up by Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom in 2020 to address the issue of reparations. The decision follows a public meeting in Oakland on May 6th, during which the panel also called on the state to issue a formal apology for long-standing racial disparities and inequalities.
The panel emphasized that California had played a role in perpetuating racial prejudice through segregation, public and private discrimination, and unequal disbursal of state and federal funding. They insisted that the apology must include a censure of former Governor Peter Hardeman Burnett, an admitted white supremacist who enacted the Fugitive Slave Act in 1850.
The panel approved up to $1.2 million in reparations payments
Some activists, including Reverend Tony Pierce, argued that the amount should be much higher, citing the 19th-century promise of “40 acres and a mule.” However, the proposed payments are not likely to pass through the state legislature, as $800 billion is more than 2.5 times higher than the state’s annual budget.
Despite this, the panel has called on other state governments and the federal government to pass their own reparations legislation. The decision is likely to increase pressure on governments at all levels to address the issue of reparations and take concrete steps toward redressing the injustices of the past.
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