Bo Tefu and Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media
On Sept. 26, Gov. Gavin Newsom ratified an official apology from the State of California to Black Californians for the harm caused by slavery and centuries of discrimination that followed. The apology, issued in Assembly Bill (AB) 3089, authored by Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer (D-Los Angeles) was approved by the Legislature last month. Newsom was joined by members of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) in Sacramento as he signed the apology and other reparations bills, regarding the legacy of racial discrimination statewide.“The State of California accepts responsibility for the role we played in promoting, facilitating, and permitting the institution of slavery, as well as its enduring legacy of persistent racial disparities. Building on decades of work, California is now taking another important step forward in recognizing the grave injustices of the past – and making amends for the harms caused,” said Newsom. AB 3089 is one bill in a CLBC package of reparations legislation written to provide restitution for the state’s role in the perpetuation of slavery and the impact of its legacy on Black people in California.“Healing can only begin with an apology,” said Jones-Sawyer in a statement.
“The state of California acknowledges its past actions and is taking this bold step to correct them, recognizing its role in hindering the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness for Black individuals through racially motivated punitive laws,” Jones-Sawyer added. Among the reparations bills that Newsom signed, include laws that address maternal health disparities and a ban on discrimination based on hair texture. CLBC Chair, Assemblymember Lori Wilson (D-SuisunCity) acknowledged the package of legislation is a meaningful foundation to address the historic injustices faced by Black residents statewide.California is the first state in the nation to create a reparations task force that was commissioned to study the impact of slavery and Jim Crow discrimination that followed it and the state’s role in it. and the and issued a formal apology for slavery
