Written by Lev Finzi
Things such as housing grants, tuitions, and job protection were proposed in the reports, as well as a long history of the mistreatment of Black Americans. The report went over events such as redlining, police violence, mass incarceration rates, and the wealth gap between White and Black Americans. The report consists of 500 pages and mostly covers the times of slavery and racism in this country.
Following the death of George Floyd, the Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, signed legislation that allowed a special task force assigned to come up with proper compensation. This is designed to benefit descendants of African American slaves. Numerous suggestions were given in the report to help the African American community.
Including the racism mentioned in the report, many accounts of segregation in California had been mentioned as well as housing being restricted. An approximate 883 African American businesses had been destroyed, and from that 20,000 people had been misplaced from around 5,000 homes.
The request to “implement a comprehensive reparations scheme,” was proposed to the legislature. The concluding features of the report are due to the legislature by July of 2023, and it is required to include the amount of Americans affected by the reparations, as well as the monetary value of the entire situation.
Approximately 10 new offices had been put forward to help achieve the final goal including the African American/Freedman Affairs, which helps individuals file claims for compensation. Another office that was proposed was the Office of Freedmen Genealogy which helps people recognize if their ancestors were victims of slavery or not.
As of this moment, it has not been made clear how many Americans are going to qualify for the reparations, but it is estimated that 1,500 slaves resided here in the state of California in the year 1852.
Photo Cred: Chelsea Lauren/Rex/Shutterstock
