UPDATE: State Task Force Narrowly Votes To Limit Reparations To Slave Descendants
SACRAMENTO (CBS SF/AP) — After hours of emotional debate, a state task force on reparations voted 5-4 to limit compensation to the descendants of free and enslaved Black people who were in the U.S. in the 19th century, narrowly rejecting a proposal to include all Black people regardless of lineage.
Near the end of the debate, San Francisco NAACP President Amos Brown, the vice chair of the task force, pleaded with the commission to move ahead with a clear definition of who would be eligible for restitution.
"Please, please, please I beg us tonight, take the first step," he said. "We've got to give emergency treatment to where it is needed."
California has taken the lead in the U.S. by trying to make reparations a reality for descendants of black slaves. Supporters say the critical vote to determine who's eligible, is a major step.
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation creating the two-year reparations task force in 2020, making California the only state to move ahead with a study and plan, with a mission to study the institution of slavery and its harms and to educate the public about its findings.
Reparations at the federal level has not gone anywhere, but cities and universities are taking up the issue. The mayor of Providence, Rhode Island, announced a city commission in February while the city of Boston is considering a proposal to form its own reparations commission.
The Chicago suburb of Evanston, Illinois, became the first U.S. city to make reparations available to Black residents last year, although there are some who say the program has done nothing to right a wrong.
California's task force members — nearly all of whom can trace their families back to enslaved ancestors in the U.S. — were aware that their deliberations over a pivotal question will shape reparations discussions across the country. The members were appointed by the governor and the leaders of the two legislative chambers.
Those favoring a lineage approach said that a compensation and restitution plan based on genealogy as opposed to race has the best change of surviving a legal challenge. They also opened eligibility to free Black people who migrated to the country before the 20th century, given possible difficulties in documenting family history and the risk at the time of becoming enslaved.
Others on the task force argued that reparations should include all Black people in the U.S. who suffer from systemic racism in housing, education and employment and said they were defining eligibility too soon in the process.
Civil rights attorney and task force member Lisa Holder proposed directing economists working with the task force to use California's estimated 2.6 million Black residents to calculate compensation while they continue hearing from the public.
"We need to galvanize the base and that is Black people," she said. "We can't go into this reparations proposal without having all African Americans in California behind us."
But Kamilah Moore, a lawyer and chair of the task force, said expanding eligibility would create its own fissures and was beyond the purpose of the committee.
"That is going to aggrieve the victims of the institution of slavery, which are the direct descendants of the enslaved people in the United States," she said. "It goes against the spirit of the law as written."
Bay Area activist Reverend Dr. Amos Brown is a longtime civil-rights champion. He studied under the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King early on, paving the way for a lifelong journey seeking justice.
21st century reparations are a part of his cause.
"It's overdue. Thank god we made the first step and first major stride to making this a reality," said Brown.
There are 2.6 million Black Californians. But only a fraction, those who can prove they're descendants of slaves, would be eligible for reparations and compensation.
Not everyone thinks all Black residents should be eligible.
"There's a lot of fodder in society that goes around saying we shouldn't be giving money to Black people simply because they're Black. I agree with that," said Legacy Republicans Alliance Founder Corrin Rankin. "This is about righting the wrong that was done to a specific group of people. In this case that group of people is the descendants of slaves."
The definition of reparations is still vague, but advocates say compensation could include free college, housing assistance, and grants to churches and organizations.
"We're not interested in taking anyone else's share. We just want our fair share of opportunity," said Brown.
Kenny Choi contributed to this story.
© Copyright 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
