In a historic move, California‘s first–in–the–nation reparations task force has approved recommendations for how the state should compensate and apologize to Black Americans for slavery.
On Saturday, the nine–member committee concluded two years of deliberations to approve an extensive report proposing ways to provide financial restitution to descendants of enslaved people in California. The proposals will now be considered by state lawmakers in Sacramento.
The approved report includes a public apology by the state of California acknowledging its responsibility for the wrongs of slavery and promising to never repeat them. The apology would be issued in the presence of people whose ancestors were held as slaves.
The report also recommends direct payments to eligible Black residents as reparations. If a Black person has lived in California their whole life up to the age of 71, they could receive more than $1.2 million in lifetime restitution.
The committee did not specify an official cost for the reparations, but economists estimated in March that the plan could cost the state more than $800 billion. That number does not include compensation for property that was taken unjustly or the devaluation of Black–owned businesses.
California‘s annual state budget is around $300 billion, and in January, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that the state is facing a projected budget deficit of $22.5 billion for the upcoming fiscal year.
The task force members debated various forms of compensation, including housing grants and tuition reimbursement, but ultimately decided on direct payments.
Any final decision on reparations must be passed through California‘s Democrat–controlled legislature and signed by Newsom.
The task force will meet one more time on June 29 in Sacramento to officially hand over the final report to the state legislature.
The reparations report has been met with mixed reactions from the public. While some welcome the idea of reparations as a means of repairing the damage caused by slavery, others worry about the economic impact of the measure and the fairness of making all citizens of the state pay for the wrongs of the past.
No matter the outcome, it is clear that this is a historic moment for the state of California. The task force‘s recommendations have the potential to set an important precedent for other states and countries considering similar reparation measures.
