California taskforce to vote on apology for state’s role in slavery

Reparations committee says admission of wrongdoing is not enough and seeks funding for services for descendants of enslaved people

California’s reparations taskforce is due to vote on recommendations for a formal apology for the state’s role in perpetuating a legacy of slavery and discrimination that has thwarted black residents from living freely for decades.

The nine-member committee, which first convened nearly two years ago, is expected to give final approval at a meeting in Oakland on Saturday to a list of ambitious proposals that will then be in the hands of state lawmakers.