What’s Next After California State Senate Passed Three Reparations Bills

by Daniel Johnson May 27, 2024 The bills are aimed at creating sources of funding for reparations for Black Californians. Three bills aimed at creating sources of funding for the compensation of Black Californians passed the state’s Senate after years of groundwork. The bills, which were authored by Democratic State Sen. Steven Bradford, will create a fund for reparations, provide compensation for land taken by eminent domain for racially biased reasons, and the creation of the California American Freedmen Affairs Agency. According to USA Today, Rep. Bradford believes that the state “bears great responsibility” in addressing the injustices it perpetrated against Black people through enslavement, segregation, discrimination, and stigmatizing Black Californians.  Bradford continued, “These are not a handout or charity by any measure. It is what was promised. It is what is owed and what is 160 years overdue. If you can inherit generational wealth, you can inherit generational debt,” Bradford said. “Reparations is a debt that’s owed to descendants of slavery.” The fund will also establish support for future projects designed to compensate Black people or descendants of an enslaved person who lived in California during the 19th Century. A previous version of the bill stipulated that the bill...