COMING TO TERMS

California Passes First State Law to Start Addressing Reparations for Slavery

The bill creates a task force that is expected to study and develop proposals for how to best address reparations for slavery.

California has become the first state to pass a law to study proposals for slavery reparations, the Los Angeles Times reports. Signed into law Wednesday by Governor Gavin Newsom, the bill creates a nine-person task force that will examine the legacy of slavery in American and determine appropriate remedies and possible compensation until 2023. “California has come to terms with many of its issues, but it has yet to come to terms with its role in slavery,” said California state assemblywoman Shirley Weber, who authored the bill. “We’re talking about really addressing the issues of justice and fairness in this country that we have to address.” Though the law does not prescribe any particular form of reparations, Weber said she hoped the task force will consider forms of reparations beyond cash payments.