California’s Reparations Task Force has approved recommendations that could result in billions of dollars in compensation for the state’s Black residents, according to a report from The Washington Times.
The historic report, which marks the end of two years of work, will be presented to the state legislature by July 1.
Vice chairman Amos C. Brown emphasized the importance of action at the meeting, stating, “I think there comes a point in time that we got to be practitioners and we got to be social engineers and make sure that we deliver something to this Black population or else we never will do it.”
The task force is scheduled to convene one last time on June 29 before submitting their report.
The comprehensive report, expected to be over 1,000 pages long, covers historical accounts and estimates of loss resulting from race-based discrimination in sectors such as health care, housing, education, and law enforcement.
The exact amount of compensation for eligible Black residents has not been determined.
Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom will need to sign any reparations legislation, including cash payments to individuals.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported that calculations of losses for eligible Black residents aged 71 and older who have lived their entire lives in California could amount to $1.2 million, Washington Times notes.
Task force member Jovan Scott Lewis addressed the media’s focus on compensation amounts, saying, “Interview requests and published articles have focused on reparation compensation amounts in spite of the task force’s decision to not deliver a sum.”
Eligibility for cash reparations will be based on lineage, with only descendants of slaves or freed Black people living in the United States before the end of the 19th century qualifying.
Other recommendations include a formal state apology for slavery, free college tuition, universal single-payer health coverage, and repealing Proposition 209, which banned race-based discrimination in employment, housing, and education.
