Black Californians could be lining up for $360,000 each as part of the state’s plan to dole out “reparations” to descendants of slaves.
Secretary of State Shirley Weber said at a meeting today that California must “admit its sins and change the narrative” to pave the way for initiatives similar to those already being considered in other states.
But there were no details on how the $650 billion project would be funded amid concerns about California’s growing deficit, which is expected to worsen due to a job spree in its tax-generating Silicon Valley.
And black community members were divided over the plan, with one woman saying racial injustices won’t be solved “if we just throw money at it.”
Others accused the program of being nothing more than “political theater” and “marketing” instead of offering genuine support to Black Americans.
Members of the public hailed plans to pay reparations, with a man pictured saying money is the only way to stop “our kids breaking into liquor stores”.
A nine-person “reparations task force” was set up by California Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2020 following nationwide protests for racial justice following the killing of George Floyd.
Previous estimates suggest payments for the state’s 1.8 million black citizens could total as much as $220,000 each.
But at a meeting on Friday, the taskforce pointed out that the checks could actually be as high as $350,000 as they seek to compensate black citizens for generations of discriminatory practices.
From the start, there have been difficulties with how the state could accurately measure the harm suffered by its black citizens.
And local residents are concerned about how the money would be paid in practice.
A man in a top hat demanded cash payments directly to black citizens.
“There’s only one thing that could boost this economy – and I need you to spread what you’ve heard – and that one thing is capital, money, reparations,” he told the meeting.
“This will boost the economy for the millions of black people in California.
The Reparations Task Force has divided California’s black community. A woman pictured pointed out that it was created by Governor Gavin Newsom, Senate Speaker Toni Atkins and House Speaker Anthony Rendon – none of whom are black
Another member of the public pictured accused the taskforce of caring more about creating “political theater” and “marketing” than actually helping Black Americans
Gloria Pierrot-Dyer, 71, said racial injustice can’t be solved “if we just throw money at it”.
“There’s only one thing that would keep our kids from breaking into these liquor stores and grocery stores, stealing junk food and other things, and that is making amends.”
However, Gloria Pierrot-Dyer, 71, disagreed.
“If you want to do something, just throwing money at it won’t solve the problem,” she said.
“We need programs and resources to reverse the psychological damage caused by being surrounded by hate for centuries.”
The California Task Force consists of: Chair Kamilah Moore, Vice Chair Dr. Amos C. Brown, San Diego Councilman Monica Montgomery Steppe, California Senator Steven Bradford, Dr. Cheryl Grills, Lisa Holder, Donald K. Tamaki and Jovan Scott Lewis and Reginald Jones Sawyer.
Moore has previously stated that she plans to be as “radical as possible” when it comes to deciding who gets reparations and how much.
But local residents took aim at the taskforce during Friday’s heated meeting, with a man telling Moore to “stand back and step aside” and claiming she wasn’t the right woman for the job.
One woman pointed out that the task force was put together by Governor Gavin Newsom, Senate Speaker Toni Atkins and House Speaker Anthony Rendon – none of whom were black.
“We don’t expect non-blacks to tell us how to get reparations – we will mobilize them ourselves. It is power for the people.’
Another remarked, “This is all political theater and it needs to end.”
In California, white families are about six times wealthier than their black counterparts.
The taskforce is considering a model that uses the state’s racial wealth gap to measure how many offspring of slaves have lost.
Using this model, a conservative estimate would mean that the state owes $636.7 billion.
Other strategies discussed were the calculation of harm related to specific injustices such as housing discrimination, mass incarceration and harm to health.
The task force has until July 1 to publish its recommendations detailing how redress will be made.
A nine-person “Reparations Task Force” was first established in 2020 by California Gov. Gavin Newsom (pictured) following nationwide protests for racial justice following the killing of George Floyd
The idea of granting reparations to black citizens has become popular across America, including cities such as Boston, Massachusetts, St. Paul, Minnesota and St. Louis, Missouri, as well as the California cities of San Francisco and Los Angeles, which have adopted similar ones set up task forces.
Evanston, Illinois became the first US city to grant reparations, including housing benefits, to its black residents in 2021.
Recently, politicians in Shelby County, Memphis, voted to allocate $5 million to a feasibility study that will “determine, develop and implement reparations.”
Task force chair Kamilah Moore has said she plans to be as “radical as possible” when it comes to deciding who gets reparations and how much
California Senator Steven Bradford (left) and Dr. Cheryl Grills (right) are also part of the task force
Cities such as Boston, Massachusetts, St. Paul, Minnesota, and St. Louis, Missouri, as well as the cities of San Francisco and Los Angeles, California, have also set up task forces and boards to formulate their own reparations plans.