On Saturday, California’s Reparations Task Force, formed in 2020, met at Mills College at Northeastern University in Oakland, California, to discuss reparations proposals for the state. Created through Assembly Bill 3121, the task force is composed of eight black members and one Asian member.
According to the California Attorney General’s website, “The purpose of the committee is ‘(1) to study and develop reparation proposals for African Americans; (2) to recommend appropriate ways to educate the California public of the task force’s findings; and (3) to recommend appropriate remedies in consideration of the Task Force’s findings.'”
While the state is not obligated to enact any of the proposals put forward, their recommendation will be presented to the California legislature for a vote. If passed, it will be sent to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D-CA) to sign.
The task force ultimately voted in favor of recommendations that could included payments of a minimum of $360,000 to each eligible black resident in the state.
Some economists estimate that the project could cost the state upwards of $800 billion — more than 2.5 times its annual budget.
The final figure is yet to be determined — that state would calculate the total per individual based on numerous factors, including whether they or a family member was incarcerated, whether they faced housing discrimination and other prejudicial factors
The amount of black Californians who would qualify for the reparations is not yet known.
To be initially eligible, applicants must be a descendant of enslaved or free Black people who were in the country by the end of the 19th century.
There is also no word on how the payments would be funded in the cash-strapped state.
Watch the full task force meeting below.
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