Global Courant 2023-05-07 17:45:03
The California Reparations Task Force has formally recommended that the state offer payments of up to $1.2 million to every eligible black resident.
The task force held a public meeting in Oakland, California, on Saturday and voted on the final set of recommendations to be sent to state lawmakers. The nine-member panel called on the state to issue a formal apology to its black residents in addition to the payments.
“Reparations are not only morally justifiable, but they have the potential to address longstanding racial disparities and disparities,” Representative Barbara Lee, D-Calif., said after attending the meeting.
The panel’s recommendation breaks down payments by types of historical discrimination. Black residents affected by bank redlining, for example, would receive $3,366 for each year they lived in California from the early 1930s to the late 1970s, amounting to $148,099.
CALIFORNIA REPAIR PANEL SAYS TOTAL COST ‘LEAST IMPORTANT’ ASPECT DESPITE POTENTIAL $800B PRICE TAG
Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., supports reparations for black Americans and has proposed legislation that would bring a federal investigation into the matter. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Similarly, black residents could receive about $2,352 in compensation for excessive policing and mass incarceration for every year they lived in California between 1970 and 2020. Those payments could amount to $115,260.
In all, a black Californian who is 71 years old and has lived in California all his life could receive up to $1.2 million from this and other payments included in the plan, according to New York Times analysis.
Kamilah Moore, chair of the California Reparations Task Force, and Amos Brown, vice chair, at the California Science Center in Los Angeles on Sept. 22, 2022. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
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The panel’s vote on Saturday included recommendations only for the state legislature and carries no legal weight whatsoever.
Saturday’s rally included opposition from some black residents demanding higher payments. An activist identified as Reverend Tony Pierce was one of the more outspoken people at the rally, referring to the famous “40 acres and a mule” promise made to former slaves when he took the stage.
“You know the numbers must be ambiguous about what an acre was back then. We got 40, okay? We got 40 acres. You know what that number is. You keep trying to talk about now, but you’re researching back to slavery and you says nothing about slavery, nothing,” Pierce said. “So the ambiguous number from the 1860s for 40 acres to today is $200 million for every African American.”
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Most of the people who spoke at Saturday’s rally spoke out in favor of reparations. However, despite such an agreement, sparks flew through the chaotic, emotionally charged meeting when an argument broke out. Indeed, many attendees spoke out of turn and interrupted each other, leading Kamilah Moore, the chair of the task force, to call security several times to remove people.
The draft recommendation noted that California had entered the Union as a free state in 1850, but said it had not passed any laws to guarantee liberty at the time. The recommendation pointed out that ten years after emancipation, California continued to allow enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Act, which called for the capture and return of runaway slaves.
Aaron Kliegman of Fox News and The Associated Press contributed to this report
Anders Hagstrom is a reporter at Fox News Digital covering national politics and major news events. Send tips to [email protected], or on Twitter: @Hagstrom_Anders.
