California budgets up to $12 million for reparations bills, a milestone in atoning for racist legacy – The Philadelphia Sunday Sun

ABOVE PHOTO: A crowd listens to speakers at a reparations rally outside of City Hall in San Francisco, on March 14, 2023. California plans to spend up to $12 million on reparations legislation under a budget signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, marking a milestone in the state’s efforts to atone for a legacy of racism and discrimination against Black Californians. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File) By Sophie AustinASSOCIATED PRESS/REPORT FOR AMERICA SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California plans to spend up to $12 million on reparations legislation under a budget signed by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, marking a milestone in the state’s efforts to atone for a legacy of racism and discrimination against Black Californians. The reparations funding in the $297.9 billion budget Newsom signed over the weekend does not specify what programs the money would go toward. Lawmakers are not considering widespread direct payments to Black Californians this year. The state Legislature is weighing proposals to issue a formal apology for California’s role in perpetuating discrimination against Black residents, to create an agency to administer reparations programs, and to identify families whose property was unjustly seized through eminent domain. The funding comes after federal reparations efforts have stalled for decades. “We often...