The state of California has gone further than any other state in examining the issue of reparations for Black people and making them reality. A state-appointed reparations task force worked for years to develop and produce an in-depth report documenting California’s history of systemic racism and its impact on Black Californians, and making a set of recommendations to remedy it.
Now, the question remains: Will California finish the task it began by actually dispensing compensation? Writing about that question for YES!’s exclusive digital series, “Realizing Reparations,” is Los Angeles–based journalist Erin Aubry Kaplan, who spoke with YES! Senior Editor Sonali Kolhatkar on YES! Presents: Rising Up With Sonali about her story, “Will California Do Reparations Right?”