The California panel approves a reinstatement proposal that would pay $1.2 million for lifelong black residents

The California Reparations Task Force has approved recommendations that black residents could each pay $1.2 million in compensation for slavery and discrimination, but activists say this is “not nearly enough” and are demanding $200 million.

The nine-member commission voted Saturday to approve proposals on how the state can compensate and apologize for generations of damage caused by discriminatory policies.

A black California resident who has lived in the state all his life until he is 71 years old could receive more than $1.2 million in compensation if the recommendations are passed into law.

But residents who attended the official meeting in Oakland reached out on the estimated cost of reparations, with some describing it as a “further injustice” and others calling for direct cash payments.

California became the first state to create a reparations task force in September 2020 following national protests over the death of George Floyd who was killed by a white Minneapolis police officer.

Residents, including Reverend Tony Pierce, believe it’s “not nearly enough” and demanded $200 million as some called it a “further injustice” and others asked for direct cash payments.

The final report is due to be sent to lawmakers before July 1, where it will forecast fee estimates calculated by several economists the group works with.

The amount these reparations would cost the state was not detailed in the report, but previous economists’ calculations predicted it could cost about $800 billion — more than twice California’s estimated annual budget of $300 billion.

The amounts lost to specific forms of racial discrimination and suggest that these amounts should be repaid to black residents, the report said.

This includes $2,352 lost per person per year for overpolicing and mass incarceration of black communities and $3,366 per person per year of residence between 1933 and 1977 for “discriminatory lending and zoning.”

And $13,619 per person per year of residence in California for “injustices and discrimination in health” and $77,000 per person for black-owned business losses and devaluations are included in the figure.

This means that a lifetime black resident of California aged at least 71 can receive more than $1.2 million in compensation.

But the 100 residents and activists who gathered at the rally were not impressed by the report’s calculations.

Reverend Tony Pierce expressed frustration, pointing to the country’s “broken promise” to offer 40 acres and a mule to newly freed slaves.

He said, ‘You know the numbers should be questionable for what an acre was back then. We got 40, okay? We got 40 acres.

“You know what that number is. You keep trying to talk about the now, but you research back into slavery and you don’t say anything about slavery, nothing.

“So the ambiguous number from the 1860s for 40 acres to today is $200 million for every African American.”

He then lashed out at the panel for not being ambitious enough with the recovery plan.

“Don’t be afraid,” he added. “You should just tell the truth. You are not supposed to be the gatekeepers. You should say what the people want and hear from the people.’

Reverend Tony Pierce expressed frustration, pointing to the country’s “broken promise” to offer 40 acres and a mule to newly freed slaves

He lashed out at the panel for not being ambitious enough with the recovery plan

Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer (left), who sits on the panel, said the recommendation of a letter of apology from the state of California is one of the most important. State Senator Steven Bradford is pictured at right

While one woman said, “$1.2 million is nowhere near enough. It should start at least $5 million like San Francisco.

“We want instant cash payments, just like the stimulus [checks] were broadcast. It’s our legacy and we can handle it.”

And another resident added, “This million dollars that we hear on the news is just inadequate and a further injustice if that is what this task force is going to recommend to Black Americans for over 400 years and continuation of slavery and injustice that we have have had to endure.

“To throw even a million dollars at us is just unfair.”

And Elaine Brown, former chairman of the Black Panther Party, urged people to express their frustrations through demonstrations.

The report stressed that the numbers are estimates only and lawmakers would need to conduct additional research to work out the details.

Panelists in the report recommended direct payments for those who qualify.

The first deposit is the beginning of a process to address historic injustices, not the end.

The recovery working group has also asked that those who qualify receive cash “down payments” once recommendations become law, while they wait for the amount of compensation to which they are entitled to be calculated.

The task force, made up of elected officials, academics and lawyers, made a decision last year on the eligibility criteria.

It stipulated that any descendant of enslaved African Americans or of a “free black person who lived in the United States before the late 1800s” should be entitled to reparations.

If legislation is passed for the payments, the commission proposed creating a drama office to process claims and make payments, prioritizing older black residents.

About 1.8 million people in California identify as Black or African American.

Cheryl Grills, a member of the task force, said the actual amount the state pays out is the “least important” aspect of the program.

Kamilah Moore, a restorative justice researcher and lawyer, chaired the task force and previously stated that she intends to be as “radical as possible” when it comes to deciding who will receive reparations and how much.

The final report is due to be sent to lawmakers before July 1, where it will forecast compensation estimates calculated by several economists the group works with

During the vote on the final report, the panel also recommended that state lawmakers formally apologize to black residents.

A preliminary report published last year highlighted how enslaved black people were sent to California during the Gold Rush era.

And in the 1950s and 1960s, racially restrictive covenants and redlining separated them in many of California’s largest cities.

One point of confusion in the reparations discourse has been whether the amount the task force is recommending will be a literal suggestion to the legislature or rather a broader estimate of the losses Black people have suffered from decades of inequality.

“We want to make sure this is presented in a way that doesn’t reinforce preoccupation with a dollar figure, which is the least important part of this,” Cheryl Grills, a member of the state task force, previously told CalMatters.

“It is important, but least important, to get to a point in our country’s history and in California’s history where we recognize that the damage spans multiple areas and domains and that the repair needs to align with that.

‘It’s a real pity. I think it’s actually sad to see that our news media can’t nuance better. It’s almost like, “What’s going to be sensational” as opposed to what’s important,” she said.

But at a task force meeting in March, Senator Steven Bradford said it would be an “uphill battle” to get the legislature to pass recommendations.

Kamilah Moore, a restorative justice scholar and attorney, chaired the task force and previously stated that she intends to be as “radical as possible” when it comes to deciding who gets compensation and how much.