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Black US slavery reparations plan in the spotlight

June 30, 2023

The US state of California never officially sanctioned slavery, meaning it was never legal in the "free state." A recent report outlined the need to make reparations to African-Americans for the legacy of US slavery.

https://p.dw.com/p/4TI8g
A black-and-white postcard featuring a photograph of Harriet Tubman, her husband Nelson Davis, and their adopted daughter Gertie.
Image: Heritage Art/picture alliance

The historic report called for California's legislature to formally apologize and offer financial reparations to Black families who are descendants of slavery. The nearly 1,110-page document details how decades of state-issued policies kept Black residents from living in certain neighborhoods or retaining property, made them subject to mass incarceration and prevented them from being afforded the same access to medical treatment offered to white Americans. The Reparations Task Force made over 100 recommendations to the state legislature in what is the first report of its kind in the US. Lawmakers now plan to introduce legislation to compensate African-Americans who are descendants of slavery.