By Antonio R. Harvey | OBSERVER Staff Writer
Attend the meeting in person or join virtually at http://oag.ca.gov/ab3121.
Public comments are 9:10-10:10 a.m.
The members of the Coalition for a Just and Equitable California (CJEC) ask the Black community to participate in the next two-day state task force reparations meeting in Sacramento, Friday, March 3, and Saturday, March 4.
The California Task Force to Study and Develop Reparations Proposals for African Americans and the state’s Department of Justice will hold the in-person hearing in the Byron Sher Auditorium at California Environmental Protection Agency headquarters, 1001 I St..
The event starts at 9 a.m. both days.
“The entire Sacramento community is welcome to attend,” said Elk Grove resident Chris Lodgson, a member of CJEC. “The task force is expected to continue its development of reparations proposals for Black California residents who are descendants of persons enslaved in the United States. The final recommendations from the Task Force are due by July 1, 2023.”
The CJEC is a statewide coalition of organizations, associations and community members united for reparations for the descendants of enslaved men and women. It is sanctioned by the task force to conduct community events such as “listening sessions” to foster awareness of the nine-member panel’s activities. Lodgson and Northern California members of CJEC were present at task force meetings in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Oakland and, recently, San Diego.
Now it’s the Black community of Sacramento’s turn to be a part of history, said task force Chairperson Kamilah V. Moore. Public comments start at 9 a.m. and members of the public are asked to arrive early to ensure their voice is heard.
“Show up, share your story, and show that reparations are long overdue for the Black community,” Moore said.
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 3121 into law in 2020. Secretary of State Shirley Weber authored the legislation establishing the task force when she was a member of the state Assembly.
The task force evaluates California’s role in slavery and Jim Crow discrimination. It will follow up that work with developing resolutions to compensate African Americans for past and ongoing race-based injustices.
The task force submitted its first report to the legislature in June 2022. The 13-chapter document details the committee’s findings thus far and includes recommendations related to them. Dr. Shawna Charles, the task force’s communications strategist, said the final report to be submitted in July will differ entirely from the first.