US: California panel calls for apology and billions in reparations for Black residents

A nine-member Reparation Task Force in the US state of California on Saturday voted to approve recommendations that could mean hundreds of billions of dollars in payments to Black residents for injustices of the past.

The committee, formed nearly two years ago, met in Oakland and gave final approval to the list of proposals which will now head to the state lawmakers to be considered for a legislation.

Among the list of approvals granted by the task forceis a public apology, acknowledging thestate’s responsibility for past wrongs and promising that it will not repeat them.

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Democrat leaderBarbara Lee, who is co-sponsoring a bill to studyreparation proposals for African Americans called upon states and the Biden administration to pass legislation regarding the same.

“Reparations are not only morally justifiable, but they have the potential to address longstanding racial disparities and inequalities,” said Lee.

The proposal is being called the country's most sweeping effort to devise a reparations programme.One of the recommendations of the panel is to create a new agency that provides services to the descendant kin of enslaved people to figure out the reparation amount they are owed.

According to some economists, the proposal,if implemented, could cost the exchequer as much as $800billion (2.5 times the annual budget of California) for decades of over-policing, disproportionate incarceration and housing discrimination.

A New York Times report stated that eligibleBlack Californians should receive up to $148,099 with the estimate based on the figure of $3,366 for each year they lived in California from the early 1930s to the late 1970s when discriminatory practices were at their peak.

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San Francisco bats for reparations

Notably, it is not the first instance when calls for reparations have been raised in the US. In March this year, thecity of San Franciscoin California also expressed support for reparations.

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors suggested the elimination of personal debt, tax burdens and annual incomes of at least $97,000 for 250 years to Black residents.

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"When you consider all of the ways in which the systems and practices have been managed to exclude and steal, if you will, the opportunities for financial mobility — families are hurting and have been for decades, if not longer," said Eric McDonnell, the reparations committee chairman.

An estimated 50,000 Black people live in the city and granting reparations to even atiny faction may put a heavy toll on the exchequer, the opponents argue. The city is already facing a deficit of more than $728 million, according to reports.

Last year, Boston City Council took a leaf out of San Franciso's book and appointed a reparations task force as well.

(With inputs from agencies)

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