Previously set up by Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, a reparations task force is now toying with ideas pertaining to extremely large sums of money, to the tune of $223,000, in order to hand out payments to every qualified black American living in the state of California.
Back in 2020, Newsom created the task force of nine people as a social justice group in order to try and promote “equity.”
“As our country reckons with our painful legacy of racial injustice, California again is poised to lead the way towards a more equitable and inclusive future for all,” stated Newsom at that time.
This task force from 2020 maintains that a legacy of discrimination in housing should overtly qualify a selection of black Americans living in the state to a massive compensation package of almost $569 billion, or roughly $224,200 per person. The topic of housing discrimination was just one of the topic areas that the task force is considering, which means that the totals could end up climbing even more. The overall effects of “mass incarceration,” “unjust property seizures,” “devaluation of black businesses,” and health care are the key pillar issues being looked over, as reported by The New York Times.
The task force chose to broaden the baseline eligibility to any and all descendants of any enslaved African American or a “free black person living in the United States prior to the end of the 19th century,” explained the report. Currently, there are roughly 2.5 million black Americans that call the state of California their home.
Most notably, the Biden administration has stood in support of looking into reparations for all black Americans.
As explained by White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre just last year that Old Uncle Joe “supports a study, as we’ve said before, into reparations.”
The comments from Jean-Pierre came t light as she was taking questions from the press about if the administration would issue reparations to families of those who fell victim in the 1921 Tulsa race massacre.
“[Biden] believes that, first and foremost, the task in front of us is not to root out — is to root out systemic racism where it exists right now,” explained the then-deputy press secretary. “And that’s why it’s … central to all of his agenda.”
“The President believes that what these survivors have endured is tragic and devastating,” tacked on Jean-Pierre. “First and foremost, he is honored to have the opportunity to listen to them and learn from their experiences. He also plans to convey his heartfelt gratitude for their bravery in sharing the stories of the trauma and violence that was wrought on them and their families. And that is — that is going to be his focus today, and that’s what he wants to do.”
