California panel OKs reparations limit for slave descendants
2 years, 8 months ago

California panel OKs reparations limit for slave descendants

Associated Press  

California’s first-in-the-nation task force on reparations has decided to limit state compensation to the descendants of free and enslaved Black people who were in the U.S. in the 19th century, narrowly rejecting a proposal to include all Black people regardless of lineage. Civil rights attorney and task force member Lisa Holder proposed directing economists working with the task force to use California’s estimated 2.6 million Black residents to calculate compensation while they continue hearing from the public. “We can’t go into this reparations proposal without having all African Americans in California behind us.” But Kamilah Moore, a lawyer and chair of the task force, said expanding eligibility would create its own fissures and was beyond the purpose of the committee. The eligibility question has dogged the task force since its inaugural meeting in June, when viewers called in pleading with the nine-member group to devise targeted proposals and cash payments to make whole the descendants of enslaved people in the U.S. Chicago resident Arthur Ward called in to Tuesday’s virtual meeting, saying that he was a descendant of enslaved people and has family in California.

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History of this topic

Fight for reparations in California continues with ballot initiative
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Fight for reparations in California continues with ballot initiative

NPR  

Fight for reparations in California continues with ballot initiative California lawmakers introduced over a dozen first-in-the-nation reparations bills this year, as reparations proponents across the country watched for a blueprint to replicate. CapRadio's Megan Myscofski in Sacramento reports lawmakers are hoping that voters will keep this effort alive this week when they decide on whether or not to keep forced …

California to apologize for state's legacy of racism against Black Americans under new law
2 months, 4 weeks ago

California to apologize for state's legacy of racism against Black Americans under new law

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ …

Reparations supporters plot comeback after bitter defeat in California Legislature
3 months, 2 weeks ago

Reparations supporters plot comeback after bitter defeat in California Legislature

Associated Press  

Still grappling with the fallout from the defeat of two bills in the Legislature’s final hours, backers of reparations geared up for a grinding fight they said could last a decade and debated whether new divisions amongst them are best resolved through reconciliation or open political warfare. “The trust is completely broken between the Black Caucus and reparations organizers,” said …

California Lawmakers Pass Bills To Atone For Racism But Stop Short Of Funding Plans
3 months, 3 weeks ago

California Lawmakers Pass Bills To Atone For Racism But Stop Short Of Funding Plans

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California lawmakers this week passed some of the nation’s most ambitious legislation aimed at atoning for a legacy of racist policies that drove disparities for Black people, from housing to education to health. California Legislative Black Caucus Chair Assemblymember Lori Wilson said Saturday that the Black Caucus pulled the bills, adding the proposals need …

California lawmakers pass landmark bills to atone for racism, but hold off on fund to take action
3 months, 3 weeks ago

California lawmakers pass landmark bills to atone for racism, but hold off on fund to take action

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California lawmakers this week passed some of the nation’s most ambitious legislation aimed at atoning for a legacy of racist policies that drove disparities for Black people, from housing to education to health. California Legislative Black Caucus Chair Assemblymember Lori Wilson said Saturday that the Black Caucus pulled the bills, adding the proposals need more work. Democratic …

California budgets up to $12 million for reparations bills, a milestone in atoning for racist legacy
5 months, 3 weeks ago

California budgets up to $12 million for reparations bills, a milestone in atoning for racist legacy

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California plans to spend up to $12 million on reparations legislation under a budget signed by Democratic Gov. The state Legislature is weighing proposals to issue a formal apology for California’s role in perpetuating discrimination against Black residents, to create an agency to administer reparations programs, and to identify families whose property was unjustly seized through eminent …

Reparations have become the latest target for conservative activists. Advocates say they are prepared to fight back
6 months, 1 week ago

Reparations have become the latest target for conservative activists. Advocates say they are prepared to fight back

CNN  

CNN — A conservative group’s lawsuit against a reparations program in Evanston, Illinois, that provides some Black residents with cash payments and housing assistance, has left advocates for reparations worried this could be the first of many attacks on their efforts to redress the harms of slavery, segregation and systemic racism in the United States. The complaint, filed against the …

Evanston’s groundbreaking reparations program challenged by lawsuit from a conservative activist group
6 months, 2 weeks ago

Evanston’s groundbreaking reparations program challenged by lawsuit from a conservative activist group

CNN  

CNN — The nation’s first government program providing cash reparations to Black residents in response to past discriminatory housing practices is being challenged in court by Judicial Watch, a conservative activist group. The lawsuit, filed last month, against the city of Evanston, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, alleges the program’s requirement that applicants state whether they and their ancestors identify …

Reparations proposals for Black Californians advance to state Assembly
7 months ago

Reparations proposals for Black Californians advance to state Assembly

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The California Senate advanced a set of ambitious reparations proposals Tuesday, including legislation that would create an agency to help Black families research their family lineage and confirm their eligibility for any future restitution passed by the state. State Sen. Steven Bradford, a Los Angeles-area Democrat, said California “bears great responsibility” to atone for injustices against Black …

After Assembly issues apology for California’s role in slavery, some reparations bills die in Senate
7 months, 1 week ago

After Assembly issues apology for California’s role in slavery, some reparations bills die in Senate

LA Times  

Sen. Steven Bradford, right, saw some of his reparations proposals die in the California Legislature on Thursday amid a state budget deficit. The California Assembly on Thursday voted to issue an official apology for the state’s role in slavery and the systemic racism that ensued, but other bills meant to offer reparations died shortly afterward in the Senate. Bradford said …

San Francisco apologizes to Black residents for decades of racist policies
9 months, 4 weeks ago

San Francisco apologizes to Black residents for decades of racist policies

Associated Press  

SAN FRANCISCO — Supervisors in San Francisco formally apologized Tuesday to African Americans and their descendants for the city’s role in perpetuating racism and discrimination, with several stating that this was just the start of reparations for Black residents and not the end. “This historic resolution apologizes on behalf of San Francisco to the African American community and their descendants …

Column: There’s no way California can solve homelessness without supporting reparations
10 months ago

Column: There’s no way California can solve homelessness without supporting reparations

LA Times  

It’s hard for some Californians — maybe many — to wrap their heads around the idea that the homelessness we see on our streets has any connection to slavery. “That feels like a conversation that, if we are being honest, we need to have.” It’s certainly the case being made by California’s Legislative Black Caucus. “America’s wealth was built by …

California lawmakers say reparations bills, which exclude widespread payments, are a starting point
10 months ago

California lawmakers say reparations bills, which exclude widespread payments, are a starting point

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Black lawmakers in California on Wednesday introduced a package of reparations legislation, calling it a starting point to atone for the state’s legacy of discrimination. The California Legislative Black Caucus introduced the package of more than a dozen proposals months after a first-in-the nation reparations task force sent a report, two years in the making, to lawmakers …

San Francisco set to apologize to Black residents for ‘systemic racism’
10 months, 1 week ago

San Francisco set to apologize to Black residents for ‘systemic racism’

LA Times  

San Francisco is planning to issue an official apology to Black residents for decades of discrimination. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors is set to officially apologize to Black residents for centuries of “systemic racism,” though large disagreements still exist over how the county will address past wrongs. The apology resolution is one action taken from a report written by …

In California, Black lawmakers share a reparations plan with few direct payments
10 months, 3 weeks ago

In California, Black lawmakers share a reparations plan with few direct payments

Associated Press  

SAN FRANCISCO — California’s Legislative Black Caucus released a slate of reparations bills to implement ideas from the state’s landmark task force on the issue. State Sen. Steven Bradford, D-Gardena, said at a news conference Thursday that the Black caucus’ priority list does not preclude individual lawmakers from introducing additional reparations legislation. “This is a defining moment not only in …

California lawmakers unveiled 14 reparations bills. None of them call for cash payments
10 months, 3 weeks ago

California lawmakers unveiled 14 reparations bills. None of them call for cash payments

LA Times  

The California Legislative Black Caucus on Wednesday outlined the first set of reparations for the descendants of African Americans who were enslaved in the United States, with proposals that include a call for the state to issue a formal apology, to prohibit involuntary servitude in prisons and to return property seized by governments under race-based eminent domain. The package of …

Supporters of reparations for Black residents urge San Francisco to push forward
1 year, 3 months ago

Supporters of reparations for Black residents urge San Francisco to push forward

Associated Press  

SAN FRANCISCO — Reparations advocates urged San Francisco supervisors Tuesday to adopt recommendations aimed at shrinking the racial wealth gap and otherwise improving the lives of Black residents as atonement for decades of discriminatory city policies, including the granting of a lump-sum $5 million payment to every eligible adult. San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors was expected to vote Tuesday to …

Editorial: Why skeptical Californians should rethink cash reparations for slavery
1 year, 3 months ago

Editorial: Why skeptical Californians should rethink cash reparations for slavery

LA Times  

Los Angeles resident Walter Foster, 80, holds up a sign as the Reparations Task Force meets to hear public input on reparations at the California Science Center in Los Angeles on Sept. 23, 2022. California’s lawmakers must make them happen The reparations task force has been working for two years on a plan to readdress the generational effects of racism …

California reparations report urges action on housing discrimination and overpolicing
1 year, 5 months ago

California reparations report urges action on housing discrimination and overpolicing

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — It was a report two years in the making — one that details how California, a state that never officially sanctioned slavery, can confront decades of policies that have kept Black residents from living in the neighborhoods they choose, being treated fairly at doctor’s visits and building generational wealth. Here’s what the task force examined: HOUSING DISCRIMINATION …

Editorial: Reparations for slavery are overdue. California’s lawmakers must make them happen
1 year, 5 months ago

Editorial: Reparations for slavery are overdue. California’s lawmakers must make them happen

LA Times  

Dr. Amos C. Brown Jr., vice chair of the California Reparations Task Force, right, holds a copy of the book “Songs of Slavery and Emancipation” in Sacramento on June 16, 2022. An order signed by Gen. William Sherman, with President Lincoln’s approval two years after the Emancipation Proclamation, gave Black people what their community leaders said they most wanted: land. …

California’s historic work on possible Black reparations moves to the Legislature
1 year, 5 months ago

California’s historic work on possible Black reparations moves to the Legislature

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Members of California’s Black reparations task force handed off their historic two-year report to state lawmakers Thursday, beginning the next chapter in the long struggle to compensate the descendants of slavery. Amos C. Brown, a longtime civil rights activist and vice-chair of the task force, said California’s projected $31.5 billion budget deficit should not stop the state …

California’s slavery reparations plan: Eligibility, payments and other details
1 year, 5 months ago

California’s slavery reparations plan: Eligibility, payments and other details

LA Times  

Kamilah Moore, chair of the California Reparations Task Force, and vice chair Dr. Amos C. Brown listen to public input on slavery reparations at the California Science Center in Los Angeles in September. California’s Reparations Task Force on Thursday released its final report, marking a milestone in the state’s historic effort to consider remedies for slavery. Here is quick breakdown …

California reparations task force releases final set of recommendations
1 year, 5 months ago

California reparations task force releases final set of recommendations

CNN  

CNN — A task force examining reparations for Black residents in California released its final report Thursday with more than 115 recommendations for how the state should compensate those harmed by slavery and “historical atrocities.” Recommendations in the landmark report, comprised of more than 1,000 pages, include a formal apology on behalf of California to descendants of people enslaved in …

Question of reparations raises skepticism and hope among Black L.A. residents
1 year, 6 months ago

Question of reparations raises skepticism and hope among Black L.A. residents

LA Times  

Sisters Melissa and Lauren Beckford, from left, with their parents Marlene and Delroy at their family restaurant, Ackee Bamboo Jamaican Cuisine, in Leimert Park. After almost two years of meetings, California’s Reparations Task Force decided last month to recommend that the state issue a formal apology for the pervasive harms of slavery and discrimination and potentially provide billions of dollars …

Column: Newsom and California lawmakers need to say where they stand on reparations for slavery
1 year, 7 months ago

Column: Newsom and California lawmakers need to say where they stand on reparations for slavery

LA Times  

State Sen. Steven Bradford, right, and Assemblyman Reginald Jones-Sawyer are members of the California reparations task force Gov. That’s the deadline for the California Reparations Task Force — created by Newsom and legislators — to finish its two years of often-acrimonious work. When asked whether I could quote him, he responded: “Oh, sure, and then I’ll be called a big …

California lawmakers on reparations panel challenge assumptions about payments to Black residents
1 year, 7 months ago

California lawmakers on reparations panel challenge assumptions about payments to Black residents

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — As California lawmakers hail the work of a historic panel that has delved into reparations proposals for African Americans for nearly two years, a state senator on the task force is warning Black residents to not assume that large cash payments are on the way. “That’s just not happening.” The task force on Saturday approved proposals in …

California governor responds to recommended reparations payments for Black residents
1 year, 7 months ago

California governor responds to recommended reparations payments for Black residents

CNN  

CNN — California’s governor responded Wednesday to the reparations payments for some Black state residents that were recommended by a task force looking at how to mitigate injustices and discrimination stemming from slavery. “Many of the recommendations put forward by the Task Force are critical action items we’ve already been hard at work addressing: breaking down barriers to vote, bolstering …

Reparations task force votes to approve recommendations for the payments of reparations to Black Californians
1 year, 7 months ago

Reparations task force votes to approve recommendations for the payments of reparations to Black Californians

CNN  

CNN — A panel in California created to consider reparations for Black residents voted over the weekend to approve recommendations for the payments of reparations to Black Californians for injustices and discrimination stemming from slavery. Saturday’s meeting in Oakland was the 15th public meeting of the Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans, according to Kamilah …

Is California giving reparations for slavery? Here’s what you need to know
1 year, 7 months ago

Is California giving reparations for slavery? Here’s what you need to know

LA Times  

Amos C. Brown Jr., vice chair of the California Reparations Task Force, right, holds a copy of “Songs of Slavery and Emancipation” during a group photo at the Capitol in Sacramento in June. California’s Reparations Task Force voted on Saturday to recommend that the state issue a formal apology for slavery and potentially provide billions of dollars in cash payments, …

California reparations amount, if any, left to politicians
1 year, 8 months ago

California reparations amount, if any, left to politicians

Associated Press  

SAN FRANCISCO — The leader of California’s first-in-the-nation reparations task force on Wednesday said it won’t take a stance on how much the state should compensate Black residents whom economists estimate may be owed more than $800 billion for decades of over-policing, disproportionate incarceration and housing discrimination. The $800 billion is more than 2.5 times California’s $300 billion annual budget …

California’s reparations task force will leave setting payment amounts to Legislature
1 year, 8 months ago

California’s reparations task force will leave setting payment amounts to Legislature

LA Times  

Morris Griffin of Los Angeles speaks during the public comment portion of a California reparations task force meeting in Sacramento on March 3. The leader of California’s first-in-the-nation reparations task force on Wednesday said it won’t take a stance on how much the state should compensate Black residents, whom economists estimate may be owed more than $800 billion for decades …

A task force in California considers how to compensate the descendants of slaves
1 year, 8 months ago

A task force in California considers how to compensate the descendants of slaves

NPR  

A task force in California considers how to compensate the descendants of slaves California's Reparations Task Force has to answer a thorny question: how to calculate compensation for the descendants of slaves. LAKIESHA MILNER: I'm from Carson, Calif. FLORIDO: The task force's recommendations are nonbinding, and Milner says she is waiting to see whether the state legislature will actually adopt …

San Francisco leaders show early support for $5 million reparation payments for eligible Black residents
1 year, 9 months ago

San Francisco leaders show early support for $5 million reparation payments for eligible Black residents

CNN  

CNN — A one-time payment of $5 million to each eligible Black resident is among recommendations unanimously accepted by San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors as part of a draft plan by a panel proposing reparations. The move Tuesday was an intermediate step, with a final report that includes board feedback due in June, the San Francisco African American Reparations Advisory …

Opinion: The overlooked reason reparations make sense in California and elsewhere
1 year, 9 months ago

Opinion: The overlooked reason reparations make sense in California and elsewhere

LA Times  

People line up to speak during a Reparations Task Force meeting at Third Baptist Church in San Francisco on April 13, 2022. I am an anthropologist and epidemiologist who studies health inequity, and last year I began my testimony to the California Reparations Task Force by recounting stark figures compiled by the National Center for Health Statistics: Life expectancy for …

San Francisco reparations committee proposes a $5 million payment to each Black resident
1 year, 11 months ago

San Francisco reparations committee proposes a $5 million payment to each Black resident

CNN  

CNN — A committee in San Francisco has released an extensive proposal for reparations that includes a one-time payment of $5 million to each eligible Black resident. The San Francisco African American Reparations Advisory Committee, created in 2020 under the city’s human rights commission, was tasked to develop a plan to address “the institutional, City sanctioned harm that has been …

California reparations task force dives into what is owed
2 years ago

California reparations task force dives into what is owed

Associated Press  

OAKLAND, Calif. — After more than a year delving into history and studies to make its case for reparations to California descendants of enslaved Black people, a first-in-the-nation task force began deliberations Wednesday to quantify how financial compensation might be calculated and what might be required to prove eligibility. On Wednesday, the Boston City Council voted to form a task …

California reparations task force to talk eligibility
2 years ago

California reparations task force to talk eligibility

LA Times  

Amos Brown, vice chair of the California Reparations Task Force, holds a copy of the book “Songs of Slavery and Emancipation” while posing for photos with other members of the task force at the Capitol in Sacramento. The first-in-the-nation task force previously voted to limit reparations to Black California residents whose ancestors were living in the United States in the …

Newsom's reparations board wants EVERY African American in US to get at least $223k
2 years ago

Newsom's reparations board wants EVERY African American in US to get at least $223k

Daily Mail  

A taskforce set up by California Gov. Gavin Newsom is urging the federal government to pay every African American in the US at least $223k for 'housing discrimination' - while continuing to probe other areas for compensation. Gavin Newsom is urging the federal government to pay every African American in the US at least $223k for 'housing discrimination' - while …

California reparations task force starts to dig in on specifics
2 years, 3 months ago

California reparations task force starts to dig in on specifics

LA Times  

Kamilah Moore, chair of the California Reparations Task Force, speaks Friday at a Los Angeles meeting seeking public input on the work of compensating Black residents whose families suffered from slavery. These and many other questions were the subject of a two-day hearing by California’s Reparations Task Force, a first-in-the-nation panel established in 2020 to develop proposals for potential reparations …

Reparations could be ‘difference’ for unhoused Black Californians
2 years, 6 months ago

Reparations could be ‘difference’ for unhoused Black Californians

Al Jazeera  

California task force recommends reparations for descendants of enslaved people, some of whom are living on the streets. California’s task force on reparations – the first of its kind in the country – voted in March to grant reparations to the descendants of African Americans who were enslaved. In a 500-page report released this month, the task force called for …

Slave reparations advocates hail historic California report
2 years, 6 months ago

Slave reparations advocates hail historic California report

Associated Press  

SAN FRANCISCO — The slavery reparations movement hit a watershed moment Wednesday with the release of an exhaustive report detailing California’s role in perpetuating discrimination against African Americans, a major step toward educating the public and setting the stage for an official government apology and case for financial restitution. The state’s Attorney General Rob Bonta, whose office is assisting the …

California Details Racist Past In Slave Reparations Report
2 years, 6 months ago

California Details Racist Past In Slave Reparations Report

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING SAN FRANCISCO — The slavery reparations movement hit a watershed moment Wednesday with the release of an exhaustive report detailing California’s role in perpetuating discrimination against African Americans, a major step toward educating the public and setting the stage for an official government apology and case for financial restitution. “Four hundred years of discrimination has resulted in …

California to unveil groundbreaking slave reparations report
2 years, 6 months ago

California to unveil groundbreaking slave reparations report

The Independent  

Get Nadine White's Race Report newsletter for a fresh perspective on the week's news Get our free newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent Get our free newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy California’s first-in-the-nation task force on reparations for African …

California to unveil groundbreaking slave reparations report
2 years, 6 months ago

California to unveil groundbreaking slave reparations report

Associated Press  

SAN FRANCISCO — California’s first-in-the-nation task force on reparations for African Americans will release a report Wednesday documenting in detail the harms perpetuated by the state and recommending steps to address those wrongs, including expanded voter registration, making it easier to hold violent police accountable and improving Black neighborhoods. The report, which runs 500 pages, will be the first government-commissioned …

California issued its first in-depth report detailing how the government has harmed Black Americans
2 years, 6 months ago

California issued its first in-depth report detailing how the government has harmed Black Americans

CNN  

CNN — A panel in California considering reparations for Black Americans released its first report Wednesday detailing the “innumerable” harms of slavery in the state that “have snowballed over generations.” In a 500-page interim report, the California Reparations Task Force detailed California’s involvement in slavery and how it continues to negatively impact Black Americans. “Thus, it is my hope that …

California unveils the US’s first slave reparations report
2 years, 6 months ago

California unveils the US’s first slave reparations report

Al Jazeera  

California’s task force on reparations for Black people in the United States – the first-ever in the nation – has released a report documenting in detail discrimination perpetrated by the state and recommending steps to address those wrongs. “Four hundred years of discrimination has resulted in an enormous and persistent wealth gap between Black and white Americans,” according to the …

Calif. group votes to limit reparations to slave descendants
2 years, 8 months ago

Calif. group votes to limit reparations to slave descendants

Associated Press  

California’s first-in-the-nation task force on reparations voted Tuesday to limit state compensation to the descendants of free and enslaved Black people who were in the U.S. in the 19th century, narrowly rejecting a proposal to include all Black people regardless of lineage. Civil rights attorney and task force member Lisa Holder proposed directing economists working with the task force to …

California’s reparations effort moves ahead: Here’s what’s next
2 years, 8 months ago

California’s reparations effort moves ahead: Here’s what’s next

LA Times  

California’s Reparations Task Force voted Tuesday to define those who are eligible for reparations as descendants of African Americans enslaved in the U.S. or of free Black people living in the country before the end of the 19th century. The motion that narrowly passed defines “the community of eligibility based on lineage determined by an individual being an African American …

California created the nation’s first state reparations task force. Now comes the hard part
3 years ago

California created the nation’s first state reparations task force. Now comes the hard part

LA Times  

An aerial view of the Manhattan Beach property known as Bruce’s Beach, once one of the most prominent Black-owned resorts by the sea in the early 20th century. “Now, undergirding all of that, is the reality that we also live in a society that has done a very poor job of informing the general public about what this country has …

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