California Democrats unveil reparations package

"California Democrats unveiled a series of reparations bills meant to address purported systemic racism, marking the first such effort from a state government.

Members of the California Legislative Black Caucus revealed a number of proposals that would impact education, criminal justice, and health policy, as well as request formal apologies from state officials over the historic impact of racism on “African slaves and their descendants.” The series of fourteen bills seeks to enact a comprehensive set of recommendations issued by the California Reparations Task Force to state lawmakers last year.

“While many only associate direct cash payments with reparations, the true meaning of the word, to repair, involves much more,” California Democratic Assemblywoman Lori Wilson said in a press release about the legislation. “As laid out in the report, we need a comprehensive approach to dismantling the legacy of slavery and systemic racism.”

The pending bills would establish grants for diverse science and technology education programs, offer financial assistance for “redlined communities,” and prohibit “discrimination based on natural and protective hairstyles in all competitive sports.” One measure would amend the state constitution to permit programs that specifically fund “increasing the life expectancy of, improving educational outcomes for, or lifting out of poverty specific groups.”