In a significant move towards acknowledging its historical injustices, California plans to issue a formal apology for its complicity in slavery during the 19th century and for implementing segregationist measures that negatively impacted Black residents. This decision is part of a series of new laws signed by Governor Gavin Newsom aimed at reconciling the state’s past treatment of African Americans.

The catalyst for this initiative was the social justice movement triggered by the tragic murder of George Floyd in 2020, which led California to become the first state to actively consider restitution for historical racism. A reparations task force highlighted troubling findings, including the enforcement of fugitive slave laws by California courts and the arrival of over 2,000 enslaved individuals in the state after its designation as a free state in 1850.

Included in the task force’s recommendations was a plea for forgiveness for the serious human rights violations inflicted upon African slaves and their descendants. However, the key recommendation of providing financial reparations for the descendants of enslaved individuals has not gained significant momentum.