California Formally Apologizes for Slavery

• Nick Fletcher
• 916-319-2057
• [email protected]

California takes first step in reparation efforts by issuing formal apology for state's role in promoting slave-era laws

SACRAMENTO, California - (September 26, 2024) - In a historic move, Governor Gavin Newsom has signed Assembly Bill 3089 into law. Authored by Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer (D-South Los Angeles), this bill marks the first step in the reparations process initiated by AB 3121 (Weber) in 2020.

AB 3089 memorializes the California Reparations Task Force's thorough review of the state's historical complicity in embedding Jim Crow-era laws and policies into the Constitution and various systems, including education, employment, economy, society, and housing. Most importantly, AB 3089 provides a formal apology on behalf of the State of California for its complicity in the human chattel slavery of our nation's past and for enduring harms inflicted on generations of Black Californians.

"This is a monumental achievement born from a two-year academic study of the losses suffered by Black Americans in California due to systemic bigotry and racism," said Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer, who also served on the California Reparations Task Force. "Healing can only begin with an apology. The State of California acknowledges its past actions and is taking this bold step to correct them, recognizing its role in hindering the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness for Black individuals through racially motivated punitive laws," said Jones-Sawyer.

The California Reparations Task Force, in its final report presented in June 2023, detailed the various harms caused by state laws to multi-generational Black families. Utilizing empirical data, historical documents, and rigorous academic research, the Task Force proposed several policy recommendations to address these injustices.

AB 3089 is the foundational bill that calls for the State to formally apologize and acknowledge its role in these historical wrongs.

The full bill language can be found here: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov

# # #