’Our ancestors were there’: California reparations vote brings joy to Black families
California this week took a historic step toward providing reparations to descendants of enslaved people and families who can trace their lineage in America to the 19th century.
A committee established by a 2020 state law recommended that those families should be eligible for state-backed reparations. It rejected an alternate proposal to make proposal to provide reparations to all Black Californians.
It sets up California to be the first state to provide reparations to the descendants of enslaved people, although the Legislature has yet to allocate any funding toward that kind of compensation.
The vote was a relief to civil rights and reparations advocates who watched the committee deliberate for a year before making a recommendation.
Chris Lodgson, a lead organizer with the Coalition for a Just and Equitable California (CJEC), could not describe the relieving joy he felt when the vote was announced.
“I feel blessed. I feel honored. I feel thankful and feel grateful. I don’t know what to say man. I am honored to be among the people that I work with,” said Lodgson. “I’m also honored to be a person who has ancestors who overcame slavery and Jim Crow in this country. Our ancestors were there today with us. That’s 100% facts.”
The task force defined eligibility as individuals who have at least one Black or African ancestor who was enslaved by the U.S., as well as descendants of free Black people who were in the U.S. prior to 1900.
Lodgson, presumably, would be eligible to receive a form of reparations. He’s not alone.
Jonathan Burgess, a Sacramento entrepreneur, recently released a children’s book describing a family ancestor who came to California in enslavement before becoming a successful businessman in El Dorado County.
Burgess has previously shared his story and testimonies of how his family has been affected by California’s discriminatory policies, including the state’s seizure of his family’s property.
“We have to begin to tell our stories, especially when we are descendants and have those oral narratives that have existed in families for years,” Burgess said.
Burgess, too, was thrilled to hear that the task force voted on lineage-based eligibility, those who are descendants of enslaved Black people or African racial groups.
“Now we can move forward and talk about everything else, but it’s important that we see the foundation,” he said.
Alternative considerations for eligibility
The task force’s purpose is to study and develop proposals for reparations among Black people, or African Americans and recommend appropriate remedies. The group was created by a law written by Secretary of State Shirley Weber and signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Prior to coming to the 5-4 vote on lineage-eligibility, the task force committee debated whether more Black Californians should receive reparations.
The conversation has extended to include a harm-based eligibility, which could have included victims of legislation and policies that have perpetuated systemic racism, such as redlining or mass incarceration.
What’s next for reparations?
Weber’s law sets a process that could lead to California offering compensation to Black families whose ancestors experienced enslavement or who suffered from discriminatory policies.
Racial discrimination and enslavement caused economic gaps, educational deficiencies, and health inequities among African-American and Black people.
With the help of an economist and genealogist, the task force plans to explore other parameters such as residency, types of experienced harm, and how to quantify emotional and physical health.
Although it has not been yet finalized, there have been conversations that reparations could come in the form of stimulus check, free college tuition, or grants for businesses and home ownership
The California Reparations Task Force will issue a report to the Legislature by June 1. It will then be up to Legislature and the governor to act on its recommendations.
This story was originally published March 30, 2022 at 1:57 PM with the headline "’Our ancestors were there’: California reparations vote brings joy to Black families."
