California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a new law requiring the state to issue a formal apology for slavery and its lasting effects on Black Americans. This legislation is part of a larger package of reparations bills introduced to address historical racial disparities, along with new laws enhancing protections against hair discrimination for athletes and increasing oversight on book bans in state prisons.
“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,” said Governor Newsom. “Building on decades of work, California is now taking another important step forward in recognizing the grave injustices of the past—and making amends for the harms caused.”
However, just a day prior, Newsom vetoed a proposal that would have assisted Black families in reclaiming or receiving compensation for property unjustly seized through eminent domain. This bill was blocked because another related proposal, which aimed to create a reparations agency to assess such claims, did not pass.
