California’s first-in-the-nation reparations task force wraps up its historic work with a final report to lawmakers
California’s first-in-the-nation slavery reparations task force wraps up its historic work Thursday with the official submission of a report two years in the making, one that documents the state’s role in perpetuating discrimination against Black residents and suggests dozens of ways to atone.
The report heads to lawmakers who will be responsible for turning policy recommendations into legislation. Reparations will not happen until lawmakers and Gov. Gavin Newsom agree.
The recommendations include a formal apology to descendants of people enslaved in the U.S. and financial compensation for harms descendants have suffered, such as overpolicing and housing discrimination. The panel also recommended the state create a new agency to oversee reparations efforts.
“It’s been a whirlwind, it’s been very work intensive, but also very cathartic and very emotional,” said Kamilah Moore, 31, task force chair and a Los Angeles-based attorney. “We’re standing in the shoes of our ancestors to finish, essentially, this sacred project.”
The nine-member panel convened in June 2021 after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation in 2020 creating the task force. The panelists, picked by Newsom and leaders of the Senate and Assembly, include the descendants of slaves who are lawyers, educators, elected officials and civil rights leaders.
