In a controversial move, California Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) has allocated $12 million for reparations to the descendants of black slaves. The funding is part of a budget agreement announced last week, which aims to resolve the state’s looming $45 billion deficit.
The allocation has been met with mixed reactions, with some progressives criticizing the amount as insufficient. Kavon Ward, co-founder of Where Is My Land, a group advocating for black people who claim their land has been lost or stolen, believes the $12 million should be given to one person, rather than being distributed among multiple individuals.
However, top California Democrats have hailed the allocation as a step in the right direction, acknowledging that there is still more work to be done. State Sen. Steven Bradford, a member of the California Legislative Black Caucus, celebrated the reparations while expressing his desire for more funding. “This is just the beginning,” he said.
Democratic Assemblywoman Lori Wilson, chairwoman of the Black Caucus, also praised the funding, calling it a “win.” James Woodson, executive director of the California Black Power Network, echoed her sentiments, stating that the funding is only the start of “many rounds of investment to repair harm.”
California Republicans, on the other hand, have criticized the allocation, arguing that it is unfair to require taxpayers, including new immigrants, low-income workers, and some African Americans, to pay for a wrong committed by other states over 150 years ago. State Assembly Republican leader James Gallagher told Fox Digital, “It will take an absurd mental gymnastics to require California taxpayers… to pay for a wrong committed by other states more than 150 years ago, but that’s the position Newsom put himself in.”
The majority of Californians oppose cash reparations, with a poll conducted last September finding that only 23% support sending funds to descendants of black slaves. The $12 million allocated in Newsom’s budget proposal will support bills expected to pass the state legislature’s Democratic supermajority, including subsidies for property taxes for eligible black residents and preventing California from punishing prisoners who refuse to work.
