In California, a state reparations task force approved recommendations on compensating and apologizing to Black residents for generations of discrimination and violence from slavery to the present day. Congressmember and U.S. Senate candidate Barbara Lee, who is helping lead a congressional push for reparations, spoke at the meeting Saturday in Oakland, which she represents in the U.S. House.

Rep. Barbara Lee: “Reparations are not a luxury for our people but a human right long overdue for millions of Americans. Millions of Americans. A promise of 40 acres and mule made to formerly enslaved people over 150 years ago has yet to be filled. And it’s critical that the promise be made — that was made to our ancestors many years ago is kept. And the process of truth-telling and racial healing, that’s got to be carried out also. The atrocities committed against Black Americans are undeniable, and reparations are a tangible route to acknowledging and making amends.”

If the measure is approved by California’s Legislature and Governor Gavin Newsom, it will provide monetary compensation to Black residents for discriminatory policies including mass incarceration, policing, housing discrimination, healthcare inequalities and environmental racism.