In a landmark move, California will formally apologize for its role in slavery and its enduring impact on Black Americans under a new law signed by Governor Gavin Newsom. The legislation, part of a broader reparations package introduced this year, aims to address the historical injustices of slavery and the long-lasting racial disparities African Americans continue to face.
Governor Newsom, while signing the bills on Thursday, said, “The State of California accepts responsibility for the role we played in promoting, facilitating, and permitting the institution of slavery, as well as its enduring legacy of persistent racial disparities.” He emphasized that this step is part of California’s ongoing efforts to acknowledge the grave injustices of the past and make amends for the harm caused.
A Step Toward Reparations
The legislation is a significant step in California’s approach to reparations, a hotly debated issue across the United States. The state has led the nation in addressing the issue of reparations more actively than others, but it stopped short of approving direct payments to African Americans this year, a point of frustration for some advocates.
This new law is part of a larger reparations package introduced earlier this year, which included measures aimed at rectifying the decades of racial disparities fueled by discriminatory policies. California is ahead of most states on this issue, having set up a reparations task force that has been studying and offering recommendations on how to address the lingering effects of slavery. However, the state legislature did not introduce bills this year for widespread financial compensation, a decision that some advocates believe leaves the reparations efforts incomplete.
Governor Newsom did allocate up to $12 million for the reparations legislation in the $297.9 billion state budget passed in June, a move aimed at supporting various measures included in the reparations package. One of these measures is focused on improving educational outcomes for students of color in K-12 career education programs, an initiative already signed into law by Newsom earlier this year.
Hair Discrimination and Prison Book Bans
In addition to the apology for slavery, Newsom approved several other bills addressing racial inequalities. One law strengthens protections against hair discrimination, particularly for athletes. This builds on existing legislation in California that prohibits discrimination based on natural hairstyles, an issue that has disproportionately affected Black women and men in schools and workplaces. The new law ensures that athletes, too, are protected from being penalized or excluded because of their natural hair.
Another bill signed into law increases oversight of books banned in California state prisons. State Assembly member Isaac Bryan, a Democrat from Culver City who authored the legislation, called the law a critical first step in addressing what he referred to as a “shadowy process.” Currently, the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation maintains a list of publications banned from the prison system, citing reasons such as security threats or violations of department rules.
The new law mandates that the Office of the Inspector General, which oversees California’s prison system, review the list of banned books and provide greater transparency. It will also require the corrections department to notify the Inspector General’s office of any changes to the list and will make the list publicly available on the Inspector General’s website. Bryan emphasized the need for this law, stating, “We need transparency in this process. We need to know what books are banned, and we need a mechanism for removing books off of that list.”
Progress and Setbacks in Reparations Efforts
While Governor Newsom has made strides in signing legislation aimed at addressing racial disparities, some efforts have faced setbacks. Just days before signing the apology law, Newsom vetoed a bill that would have helped Black families reclaim or be compensated for property that had been unjustly seized by the government through eminent domain. The bill was seen as an important component of California’s reparations efforts but would not have been fully effective without the passage of another bill that aimed to create a state agency to review reparation claims. That legislation was blocked by lawmakers, hindering further progress on property restitution.
At the federal level, efforts to study reparations have stalled in Congress for decades. However, some states and local governments have taken matters into their own hands. Illinois and New York have both passed laws in recent years establishing reparations commissions, and cities like Boston and New York City have also created task forces to study the issue. Evanston, Illinois, was the first city to launch a reparations program, which provides housing assistance to Black residents as a form of redress for past discrimination.
Looking Ahead
California’s apology for slavery, while symbolic, is part of a broader movement to reckon with the country’s legacy of racism and its ongoing impact on Black Americans. With Governor Newsom’s signing of these bills, the state has taken a step toward confronting its past, even as reparations efforts continue to evolve.
As the debate around reparations continues at both the state and national levels, the new law signals California’s commitment to addressing systemic racism and offering reparative justice for African Americans.