‘Just the beginning’: Even without big cash payouts, reparations backers applaud bills

A GROUP OF California lawmakers is tackling reparations for Black descendants of enslaved people with a set of bills modeled after recommendations that a state reparations task force spent years studying and developing.  

The legislative package — a set of 14 bills the California Legislative Black Caucus released last Wednesday — addresses everything from criminal justice to food. It includes proposed laws that would require the governor and Legislature to apologize for human rights violations. One bill would provide financial aid for redlined communities while another proposal aims to protect the right to wear “natural and protective” hairstyles in all competitive sports.