California Residents Outraged After Millions in Reparations Are Approved While State Battles $47 Billion State Deficit

Governor Gavin Newsom signed off on this initiative, highlighting the state’s commitment to address its historical wrongs against Black Californians, despite a long history of inaction at the federal level.

With no specifics on how the funds will be used and no immediate plans for direct payments, Californians are left wondering what comes next.

Current discussions include possibly issuing a formal apology for past discrimination, setting up a reparations agency, and identifying families who lost property through unjust eminent domain.

Illinois and New York are exploring options, while Florida supports descendants of racial violence through educational scholarships—a mosaic of efforts across the nation.

This reflects a broader debate about responsibility and fairness.

This echoes a sentiment among some officials that while the start is good, much more is needed to genuinely tackle the deep scars of injustice.

Not to mention the additional costs of investigating claims about property taken through racial discrimination, which could run into the hundreds of thousands.

Initiatives for tax relief and housing assistance for descendants of enslaved people were stopped in their tracks by legislative committees earlier this year.

It was a setback in the educational front of reparative efforts.

It’s a significant, albeit initial, step in a long journey toward healing.

The discourse delves into how a state rich in cultures addresses historical grievances that predate many of its current residents.

The state’s decisions and their outcomes might just shape how reparations are approached across America, signaling a potential shift in how the country confronts and reconciles with its past.

A 2022 Pew Research Survey found that 55 percent of Black US adults said the legacy of slavery has impacted Black Americans’ position in society a great deal.

54% of conservative Black adults felt this way, along with 51% of moderates and 74% of liberals.

Last year, the city of Evanston, Illinois approved housing assistance to combat discrimination, and education institutions like Georgetown University have reparations funds set up.

“The NAACP submits reparations are the first step in repairing the devastation inflicted by slavery and racial discrimination. Ultimately when the Black community as a whole is excelling the country excels,” said the NAACP.

“If you can inherit generational wealth, you can inherit generational debt,” said State Senator Steven Bradford. “Reparations is a debt that’s owed to descendants of slavery.”

“Identification of African-American heritage is both a biological and physical representation of being African-American on a daily basis,” the group says on its website.

“That seems to me to be a bit of an injustice in and of itself,” said Republican Senator Roger Niello, who supports eminent domain in principle but feels it’s unfair that taxpayers across the state should have to pay for what local governments are responsible for.

“It seems to me like they’re putting, number one, the cart before the horse,” said Republican Assemblymember Bill Essayli. “They’re setting up these agencies and frameworks to dispense reparations without actually passing any reparations.”

According to the University of Illinois, 67% of Black Americans and 4% of White Americans supported reparations in the year 2000. In 2022, this number had increased to 77% of Black Americans and 18% of White Americans.

“This is nothing but a $12 Million bribe to a bunch of consultants to tell Newsom what he wants to hear. Here’s what’ll never come up: California was NEVER a slave state!” said X user Tee Rickey.

However, the area itself has a history of slavery that began under Spanish colonial rule and continued during the gold rush in the 1800s when southerners brought Black slaves with them to work in the goldmines.

“Gavin Newsom: ‘We’re broke!’ Also Gavin Newsom: ‘Here’s $12 million for ‘reparations’ that will go to multiple grifting nonprofits and won’t help the community,’ said one X user.