California Governor Signs Bill To Consider Paying Slavery Reparations

The bill opens the door to the state paying reparations to Black Californians, especially those who are descendants of slaves.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a bill that may lead to the state paying reparations to Black Californians, especially those who are descendants of slaves.

Titled Assembly Bill 3121, the bill calls for a nine-person task force that will make recommendations for how reparations could happen, whether through compensation or restitution, according to a report from Deadline. The task force will be made up of five gubernatorial appointees and four people chosen by the state legislature. The group will also have the power to: hold hearings and sit and act at any time and location in California, request the attendance and testimony of witnesses, and seek an order from a Superior Court compelling testimony or compliance with a subpoena. The bill doesn’t commit to any specific payments though.

The full text of 3121 can be read here.

Ice Cube, who was present on a Zoom call when the bill was signed, took to social media to thank Newsom for 3121.

In related news, a 105-year-old woman is leading a lawsuit seeking reparations for the 1921 Tulsa massacre that led to the deaths of 300 Black people. The woman — Lessie Benningfield Randle — is serving as the lead plaintiff for a group of Oklahomans who filed the lawsuit together last month The lawsuit accuses the city of Tulsa, Tulsa county, the then serving sheriff of Tulsa county, the Oklahoma national guard and Tulsa regional chamber of being directly involved in the massacre.