SACRAMENTO, California — Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday signed an official apology for harms caused by slavery and hundreds of years of discrimination against Black Californians.
“Healing can only begin with an apology,” said Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer, who authored the apology bill, in a statement. “The state of California acknowledges its past actions and is taking this bold step to correct them, recognizing its role in hindering the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness for Black individuals through racially motivated punitive laws.”
Newsom also approved a handful of other bills enacting policies developed by the state’s reparations task force — which he helped create four years ago — to address issues such as maternal health disparities…