The state of California is set to formally apologize for its participation in enslavement and its enduring impacts.
The apology, announced last week, will be part of a new law Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into effect. The law was part of a reparations package introduced earlier this year by the California Legislative Black Caucus, which included a variety of proposed legislation to compensate for the state’s involvement in enslavement.
As part of the new bills, Newsom also approved packages that tackled hair discrimination, particularly when it comes to athletes. The banning of books in state imprisonment institutions was also barred as part of the package approvals.
“The State of California accepts responsibility for the role we played in promoting, facilitating, and permitting the institution of slavery, as well as its enduring legacy of persistent racial disparities,” said Gov. Newsom in a statement. “Building on decades of work, California is now taking another important step forward in recognizing the grave injustices of the past –- and making amends for the harms caused.”
The bill for a formal state apology was signed into law days after Gov. Newsom vetoed a bill aimed at reclaiming land stolen from Black families.
The proposed bill would have helped Black families get back property unjustly taken from them by the government, creating a process for them to file a formal claim.
History in the making! @CAgovernor has signed the California Legislative Black Caucus' Reparations Bill package into law. A major step toward righting past wrongs and ensuring Black Californians get the equity they deserve. This is just the beginning! #Reparations #CLBC pic.twitter.com/gynBNzKeK7
— Assemblymember Corey Jackson (@AsmCoreyJackson) September 27, 2024
Through the formal claim, an agency would hypothetically have to review whether the families were victims of discrimination and were not fairly compensated for the land.
Legislators blocked the creation of the agency before it could reach Gov. Newsom, meaning the proposal alone would not be able to withstand the process.
“I thank the author for his commitment to redressing past racial injustices,” Gov. Newsom said in a statement. “However, this bill tasks a nonexistent state agency to carry out its various provisions and requirements, making it impossible to implement.”
Although the government’s latest agreement to issue a formal apology is welcome, some advocates are arguing that not enough is being done to address the impact of enslavement.
Speaking to NBC, Kamilah Moore, a lawyer and chair of the Reparations Task Force, argued that Sen. Steven A. Bradford’s set of proposals represents reparations on a truer level.
Built off of suggestions made by the California Reparations Task Force, Sen. Bradford’s proposed bills included the creation of the Freedmen Affairs Agency, a group that would help hand out reparations.
In late September, Gov. Newsom’s office reportedly attempted to make edits to Sen. Bradford’s bill, attempting to replace the reparations agency with a research program led by the state university system.
Upon the veto of the land reclamation bill, Sen. Bradford expressed his disappointment with the proposal being rejected.
“It passed the Senate by a vote of 38-0 and passed Assembly 72-0. This powerful bill would have created a path to restitution for thousands of Californians who had their land or property unfairly taken through eminent domain for racially motivated reasons,” said Sen. Bradford. “Even without the Freedmen Affairs Agency being created, parts of SB 1050 could have lifted the statute of limitations and opened the door to justice for thousands of Californians.”
