Heated Hearing on Reparations: Assemblymember Says Asians and Latinos Not Responsible for Slavery and Discrimination  

Antonio‌ ‌Ray‌ ‌Harvey‌ ‌|‌ ‌California‌ ‌Black‌ ‌Media‌ Asm. Lori D. Wilson (D-Suisun City), the chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus, makes the case for ACA 8 in front of the Senate Public Safety Committee on June 11. CBM photo by Antonio Ray Harvey. (CBM) – On June 11, a heated debate ensued among lawmakers over reparations for Black Californians during an Assembly Judiciary Committee hearing on Senate Bill (SB) 1331, also known as The Fund for Reparations and Restorative Justice. Assemblymember Kate Sanchez (R-Rancho Santa Margarita), a member of the Judiciary Committee, voted against SB 1331, commenting that the legislation is “fundamentally unfair” and “the pain of our past should not be paid by people of today.” She stated that California’s Asians and Latinos make up 55% of the state population and are not responsible for slavery, discrimination, or Jim Crow laws. Senate Judiciary Committee chair Ash Kalra (D-San José) disagreed with Sanchez’s perspective and pushed back with a persuasive counterargument explaining why America owes Black Americans. The Indian American lawmaker reminded Sanchez and other members of the committee that “the country became a superpower based on free labor” and “Black families over a generation “did not ask if...