California’s slavery reparations task force will officially submit their recommendations on Thursday, marking the end of a historic two-year study.
Among the recommendations in the report: a formal apology to descendants of Blacks enslaved in the U.S. and financial compensation to address the impact of racist policies, and discrimination that harmed generational wealth for Black Americans.
The report will go to state lawmakers and Gov. Gavin Newsom for review.
Gov. Newsom signed legislation in 2020 creating the reparations task force, which convened in June 2021. California is the first state in the U.S. to embark on a reparations study. New York may become the second state to create a similar commission after legislation was approved earlier this month by State lawmakers. The legislation not been signed yet by Gov. Kathy Hochul.
The California panel did not recommend a specific dollar amount to address the financial impact of discriminatory practices. At least one of the calculation estimated the cost of reparations of around $800 billion — more than 2.5 times more than the state’s annual budget.
More about the reparations report and recommendations can be found here.
Blog dedicated to news and viewpoints from Black journalists who support, and inform, communities of color.
Original content, and curated articles, are posted and updated daily.