A first of its kind task force on reparations is set to release a report on Wednesday. The report will outline several ways to address what they believe to be wrongs committed by the state of California against Black Americans.
Fox News reported:
The report calls for expanded voter registration, policies to hold more accountable in cases of alleged brutality, and recommends the creation of a special office that would, in part, help Black Americans who descended from free or enslaved Black people in the country at the end of the 19th century document their eligibility for financial restitution.
The report, which runs 500 pages, will be the first government-commissioned study on harms against the African American community since the 1968 Kerner Commission report ordered by President Lyndon Johnson, task force Chair Kamilah Moore said.
“I hope that this report is used not only as an educational tool but an organizing tool for people not only in California but across the U.S. to educate their communities,” she said, adding that the report also highlights “contributions of the African American community and how they made the United States what it is despite ongoing oppression and degradation.”
This task force was created in 2020 via legislation signed by California Governor Gavin Newsom. The legislation was voted on in March and will limit potential reparations to descendants of free or enslaved Black people in the country at the end of the 19th century rather than all Black people.
The report, which will be released by California’s Department of Justice, doesn’t provide a comprehensive reparations plan. That is set to be done next year.
A spokesperson for Governor Newsom told Fox News, “Once again, California is leading the nation, in a bipartisan way, on issues of racial justice and equity, which is a long-overdue discussion, we must have – not just in a single state, but across America. As this report is lengthy in substance, the administration is still reviewing this document. We also look forward to reviewing the second report which is due next year.”
Utah Congressman Burgess Owens pushed back on this report.
He said, “It is impractical and a non-starter for the United States to pay reparations.”
He also added, “It is also unfair and heartless to give Black Americans the hope that this is a reality. The reality is that Black American history is not one of the hapless, hopeless race oppressed by a more powerful white race. It is instead a history of millions of middle- and wealthy-class Black Americans throughout the early 20th century achieving their American dream.”
