Calif. Senate passes landmark package of three reparations bills

Sen. Bill Dodd, left, listens to Sen. Steven Bradford, leader of the California Legislature’s push for reparations. – Photo: Antonio Ray Harvey, CBM by Bo Tefu, Lila Brown and Antonio Ray Harvey, California Black Media Last week, the California State Senate voted to advance three landmark reparations bills authored by Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Inglewood). The bills aim to redress the economic and social injustices stemming from chattel slavery in the American South and more than a century of state-sanctioned discriminatory practices that followed the Civil War. The package of legislation now moves to the State Assembly for consideration. The historic vote on Senate Bill (SB) 1403, SB 1050 and SB 1331 was held on the Senate floor late in the afternoon on May 21, while supporters representing several reparations advocacy groups observed from the gallery. “After two years of thorough examination by the California Reparations Task Force, we are finally translating words into action,” remarked Sen. Bradford. “These bills represent a crucial step in establishing the framework for reparations, acknowledging the deep-seated injustices faced by African Americans in California.”& “l appreciate my legislative colleagues who have directly faced this important issue and shown great courage by passing these historic pieces...