California Reparations Task Force will consider cash payments, apology to Black residents

Sacramento resident Jon Burgess was one of many who traveled to Oakland on Saturday to be in attendance during the historic California Reparations Task Force vote that approved recommendations for restitution — including a formal apology to Black residents for the state’s role in upholding racial oppression through legislation.

He called this a “win” for California.

Burgess’ ancestor, Rufus Burgess, was born into enslavement and migrated to California with his enslaver during the Gold Rush era.

Rufus Burgess worked for his freedom and became a successful entrepreneur. He owned land in Coloma, which was later acquired by the state of California. It is now a part of Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park in El Dorado County.

Burgess told The Sacramento Bee that he thinks atonement is necessary for what California did to him and his family.

“I’m hopeful because we are the first state to move forward with formal voting to move something so that legislators can pick it up and create some real change that will hopefully be impactful and change the conditions of a lot of descendants,” said Burgess.

What are key reparations recommendations?

One of the approved recommendations was to accept the first part of the task force’s report that detailed historical atrocities and harms which Black Californians faced as a result of enslavement, racial terror, political disenfranchisement, unjust property takings, among other examples that have affected the livelihoods of Black residents.

For such harms caused, it was voted for Black residents of an eligible class to receive reparations, which includes monetary compensation.

The eligible class defined by the task force are Black Californians who can trace their lineage to enslaved Africans or freed Black persons prior to the end of the 19th century.

The final report and its recommendations are scheduled to be submitted to the state Legislature on July 1.

“I want to thank this task force and all at the DOJ for the tireless work that we have done for the last two years to bring us to this process,” said task force committee member, Senator Steven Bradford during Saturday’s meeting in Oakland.

The California Department of Justice (DOJ) was assigned with providing administrative, technical, and legal assistance to the Task Force.

Chris Lodgson, an organizer with the Coalition for a Just and Equitable California (CJEC), called the vote “historic.”

“The Task force voted to recommend the state pay lineage-based reparations in the form of direct payments to descendants of enslaved or free Blacks living in the United States before 1900. I am so thankful,” said Lodgson.

There is not yet an official dollar amount for reparations in the form of cash payments, however the state’s task force has consulted a team of economists to develop a methodology for analyzing and calculating harms and losses.

According to the task force’s report, economists have estimated that California could owe over a million dollars per Black resident.

Some of the calculations were based on atrocities endured by Black residents such as unjust property taken by eminent domain, seizure of lands, housing discrimination such as redlining, dismantling of Black businesses, mass incarceration and over-policing.

In addition to establishing cash reparations, the task force is working to create and fund a California American Freedmen’s Affairs Agency to help Black residents receive readily available services to improve their quality of life.

How have reparations recommendations taken shape?

In 2020, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 3121, authored by then-Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, D-San Diego, to explore how California might compensate for harms caused by enslavement and racial discrimination.

Task force chair Kamilah Moore had high praise for Weber and others for their work towards reparations.

“Thanks and praise is due to the California Reparations Task Force, (Secretary) Weber, Governor Newsom, and the grassroots activists working for reparations in California such as the Coalition for a Just and Equitable California,” said Moore.

The task force has until their June 30 meeting to make final amendments to their recommendations.