California lawmakers introduce reparations bills amid Trump’s anti-DEI backlash
California became the first U.S. state to pass into law a reparations task force and, just last year, the first state to introduce a slavery reparations package.
Members of California’s Legislative Black Caucus introduced a package of reparations bills, signaling a renewed commitment to racial justice even as President Donald Trump has taken actions to curtail diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, and amid a subsequent DEI backlash in corporate America.
“With the constant attacks on civil rights and the rolling back of decades of progress, it is essential that we continue the fight for justice,” said the State Senator Akilah Weber Pierson, chair of the California State Legislature’s Black Caucus, as reported by The Guardian.
The proposed bills would give descendants of enslaved African Americans priority in public university admissions and expand public education curriculum on the elementary and high school levels to include the “impacts of segregation, slavery, and systemic discrimination.” Another bill would require state government agencies to conduct racial equity analysis. The legislation package is the result of recommendations proposed in a 2023 report from the California Reparations Task Force.
California has been a national leader on the issue of reparations. It became the first U.S. state to pass into law a reparations task force and, just last year, the first state to introduce a slavery reparations package.
The progressive attempts to redress the harms of U.S. slavery for millions of Black Americans in states like California, New York, and Maryland are in direct contrast to what’s happening in Washington, D.C., where the Trump administration has used its federal powers to dismantle decades-old efforts to close racial equity gaps in various areas, from employment and health care to environmental protection and housing. During his first week in office, President Trump signed executive orders eliminating all racial equity or DEI programs, agencies, and roles in the federal government, and encouraged the private sector to do the same.
U.S. Rep. Lateefah Simon, who represents California’s 12th Congressional District, dismissed arguments made by Trump and conservatives that DEI discriminates against non-people of color or men. She told theGrio, “Anti-DEI is a code word for ensuring that white men take back governance in this country and that women, including white women, must be subjugated to the role of white men.”
Congresswoman Simon said the latest anti-DEI movement has created “some inroads” to “bring us back to pre-Civil Rights Movement times.” She added, “[They] want to bring us back to an apartheid United States, and again, that’s what many of our grandparents were born into. But we’re not going back to that.”
Simon joined other Black progressive members of Congress for the reintroduction of H.R. 40, a bill first introduced in 1989 that would create a federal task force to study the impact of U.S. slavery and develop reparations proposals. However, considering the bill’s inability to pass in Congress for more than 30 years and a current Republican majority, the federal government catching up to states and local governments on the issue is unlikely anytime soon.
But even as states like California attempt to forge ahead on reparations proposals, there isn’t quite a consensus. During the state legislature’s previous session last year, there were internal divisions and a veto from California Gov. Gavin Newsom. While several reparations-related bills were passed–such as a formal apology on behalf of the state of California–others were unsuccessful, including legislation that would’ve allowed Black families to reclaim or be compensated for property wrongly taken by the government. Gov. Newsom said he vetoed the bill because it was “impossible to implement.”
Members of California’s Black caucus remain confident that despite the political climate in D.C., they can pass meaningful laws to achieve their goal of repairing the harm of slavery and racial discrimination. They are particularly heartened by the support of pro-Trump Republican lawmaker, Assemblyman Bill Essayli.
“We are very confident in our package, which includes bills that have bipartisan support,” said Legislative Black Caucus Chairwoman Weber Pierson. “The fact that Republicans support our efforts shows that, even in the current political climate, the need to repair the centuries of harm imposed on Black Americans goes beyond political affiliations – it is a moral obligation.”
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