SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Residents of Sacramento and visitors from nearby regions have an opportunity Friday and Saturday to join the conversation regarding reparations in California.
It’s the final pair of public meetings the reparations task force will hold anywhere in the state. The purpose of the gatherings are to hear public comments from everyday citizens about the effort toward creating a reparations plan.
Residents, particularly those of Black or African descent who have been impacted by the legacy of slavery and discrimination in the U.S., are encouraged to provide their own personal stories. They can also talk about how reparations would affect them positively or how the current recommendations have excluded them.
The meetings will take place in public 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days at the Byron Sher Auditorium at the California Environmental Protection Agency, 1001 I St. in Sacramento.
It can also be live-streamed on the California Department of Justice website or on YouTube through the Emend The Mass Media Group.
During the first hour, the floor will be open to members of the public who want to speak on any proposed agenda item to be discussed during the meeting.
The first 30 minutes will be time reserved for those able to attend in-person and the remaining 30 minutes will be for people who called into the meeting using a toll-free number, (844) 291-5495. The code to join the waitlist is 3968101.
Speakers will be given no more than three minutes to share their comments, concerns or suggestions regarding what reparations should consist of.
Any further comments or suggestions beyond the allotted time during the two-day meeting can be submitted by email to reparationstaskforce@doj.ca.gov.
Residents provide feedback
Last December, Elk Grove resident Pamela Williams took a trip with her daughter to the Oakland City Council Chambers to participate in the task force’s public meetings.
She gave her testimony explaining her concerns of the time frame for harms inflicted from roughly the mid-19th century through 1977, period under consideration by the task force. Williams, born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, moved to California in 1985.
“I am pleading, I am asking that when you make the decision for lineage please (include) the people who have been here since 2000,” she said.
The task force will make recommendations to the Legislature urging for federal action on exploring – and disseminating – reparations nationwide.
The task force committee will continue to address key questions regarding reparations including eligibility, determining the beginning and end of harms committed, and potential forms of compensation that align with the damage inflicted.
Committee members will discuss the final recommendations on potential solutions such as remedial programs, incorporating laws, creating formal apologies, and education on the racial history statewide and nationwide.
How reparations conversation started
The reparations committee was first established through a 2020 law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
The resolution urged the state to provide reparations to descendants of enslaved people and Black families who can trace their lineage in America to the 19th century.
The reparations task force is made up of nine members total. Five members were appointed by Newsom, four were appointed by the Legislature.
The members of the task force are Sen. Steven Bradford, D-Los Angeles; Amos Brown; Cheryll Grills; Lisa Holder; Assembly member Reggie Jones-Sawyer, D-Los Angeles; Jovan Scott Lewis; Kamilah Moore; Monica Montgomery Steppe and Donald Tamaki.
An executive interm report was published last June by the task force and submitted to the California Legislature detailing lasting effects of enslavement and discriminatory policies, including present-day inequalities.
The task force has until July 1 to submit its final report, which would include recommendations the state could adopt to address the lasting effects of discriminatory practices.
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