California Moves Forward With Reparations Plans For African Americans
On Tuesday during the first meeting of the state’s task force to study proposals for reparations for African Americans, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said that his state is moving forward with efforts to create “a more equitable and inclusive future for all.”
As The Hill reported, just last year, the democratic governor signed a bill approving the task force that will consider paying reparations for slavery. The statute requires a task force to make recommendations for lawmakers to address the findings by July 2023. It is expected to include details on what form of compensation lawmakers should authorize, as well as who should receive those funds, the news site notes. Newsome explained, “With this bill, we’re bringing together some of the best, the brightest minds to chart a path forward, to move to a more equal California.”
While speaking on the move, California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who also spoke at Tuesday’s meeting, said, “Although the horrors of slavery may have begun in the past, its harms are felt every single day by Black Americans in the present.” Bonta added, “Yes, there has been progress in this country, but it has been all too uneven, and it has not moved fast enough,” he said. “We must move quickly. How much longer can we wait for justice? How much longer until we are able to truly fulfill the promise of the American dream that all are created equal and endowed with certain unalienable rights?”
So far, Newsom has appointed five members to the task force, with the four other members appointed by California Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins (D) and California Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D).
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