As we observe the Fourth of July this week, we also celebrate the first anniversary of the release of the historic report of the California Reparations Task Force and the appropriation last week of $12 million to support reparations programs created as a direct result of the recommendations in the task force report.
EJS President Lisa Holder was a member of the task force and now one of the leaders of the Alliance for Reparations, Reconciliation, and Truth (ARRT), a multi-racial, multi-sector alliance advancing reparations in California (https://alliancefor.org).
ARRT builds upon the historic work of the California Reparations Task Force and counts six of the nine task force members as part of its leadership, including Lisa and EJS Board Member Don Tamaki.
ARRT is committed to a long-term approach to address the harms against Black Americans centuries in the making: educate the public about reparations; amplify the California Reparations Task Force’s report and advance its recommendations; achieve broad-based, multi-racial public support of reparations; and grow the base of multi-racial and multi-sector allies who support reparations in California.
Visit https://alliancefor.org and subscribe to ARRT updates and go to https://supportreparations.org to add your organization’s endorsement of the historic task force report.
We also look ahead to 2026 and the 250th birthday of the United States of America and wonder on that special occasion how we will measure ourselves against the democratic ideals laid out in the Declaration of Independence.
We are still only at the beginning of repairing the harm caused by the crimes against humanity represented by the genocide of Indigenous peoples, slavery, and the resulting systemic oppression against Black people.
The Equal Justice Society is committed to leading the reparations movement for the long haul. Please support us with your donation. Thank you!