California has become the ninth state to issue Black residents a formal apology for years and years of racism. On Tuesday (Feb. 27), the San Francisco Board of Directors unanimously voted to acknowledge the role the city has played in sustaining decades of bigotry and discrimination.
The board, consisting of 11 members, issued a statement apologizing to Black people living across the city today and their descendants.
“This historic resolution apologizes on behalf of San Francisco to the African American community and their descendants for decades of systemic and structural discrimination, targeted acts of violence and atrocities as well as committing to the rectification and redress of past policies and misdeeds,” Supervisor Shamann Walton said in a statement.
For some, taking accountability for systemic racism is a major step in advocating for Black folks who live in California. In 2022, Boston also formally apologized for the role it played in slavery. But beyond apologies, many are still waiting for tangible reparations to become a reality.
Walton, who is the only Black member of the board and main advocate of the resolution, added that there is “much more work to do but this apology most certainly is an important step.”
In addition to the remorseful words, the African American Reparations Advisory Committee proposed that every Black adult that is eligible get a $5 million lump-sum cash payment as well as a guaranteed income of nearly $100,000 a year to fix San Francisco’s racial wealth gap. Racist policies such as property redlining were found to be among the practices used to prevent Black residents from building generational wealth.
According to the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, San Francisco has a population of around 46,000 Black people, representing about 6% of the city’s general population. However, Black folks comprise 38% of San Francisco’s homeless population.
California became the first state to have a task force on reparations in 2020. However, the state committee ultimately dissolved just three years later.