Equal Justice Society President Lisa Holder is a leader of ARRT and a former member of the historic California Reparations Task Force
The Alliance for Reparations, Reconciliation, and Truth (ARRT) commends Gov. Gavin Newsom on signing into law SB 437 (Weber-Pierson), requiring the California State University to explore options to determine how to confirm an individual’s status as a descendant, and SB 518 (Weber‑Pierson), creating the Bureau for Descendants of American Slavery, housed within the Civil Rights Department.
SB 437 and SB 518 are two of the reparations bills passed by the legislature, led by the California Legislative Black Caucus, with special appreciation to caucus chair Senator Dr. Akilah Weber Pierson for her disciplined leadership. Through outreach by ARRT, more than 8,500 letters were sent and hand-delivered to Governor Newsom in support of the reparations bills.
“We’re proud to have played a critical role in the passage of this bill. Amid deep divisions, our coalition is advancing a cross-racial alliance that places reparations at the heart of a shared vision for a resilient, multicultural democracy,” said Lisa Holder, ARRT leader, former member of the reparations task force, and President of the Equal Justice Society. “Truth-telling and collective healing are essential steps toward reconciliation. We cannot move forward as one human family until we confront the harm, acknowledge the debt, and take tangible action to repair what has been done to those who have long been silenced, sidelined, and denied justice.”
Gov. Newsom vetoed AB 57 (McKinnor), which would have allocated a portion of funds in the Home Purchase Assistance Program for descendants of formerly enslaved people, and AB 62 (McKinnor), which would have required the Civil Rights Department to review, investigate, and make certain determinations regarding applications from persons who claim they are the dispossessed owner of property taken as a result of racially motivated eminent domain.
While ARRT is disappointed in Gov. Newsom’s vetoes of AB 57 and AB 62, the bills he did sign represent yet another critical step in a historic journey that started with Gov. Newsom’s signing AB 3121 into law on Sept. 30, 2020, to create the first-in-the-nation California Reparations Task Force.
After two years of research and 30 public hearings, the task force in 2023 delivered a 1,100-page book of truth that documents past and continuing harm of anti-Black discrimination in every facet of American life and across every sector of California civil society.
In 2024, Gov. Newsom signed several reparations bills, including AB 3089, a formal apology by the State of California for its role in perpetuating slavery and its ongoing legacy of systemic racism.
It’s alarming to see news coverage focused almost exclusively on the vetoed bills, while overlooking the critical fact that the two reparations bills signed into law are among the most historic and pivotal pieces of infrastructure for harm repair in our state. These laws carve a clear path for more targeted reparations legislation in the next cycle and signal a promising future for justice and accountability. For those engaged in the 200-year struggle for harm repair – initiated by our formerly enslaved ancestors – recognize that this small step for California is, in truth, a giant leap for America.
ARRT will continue its efforts to educate the public, ensuring communities are fully informed and empowered. With 115 recommendations from the California Reparations Task Force, this marks only the beginning of a long-term commitment to justice. ARRT will collaborate with pragmatic elected officials to advance meaningful repair and policy implementation that reflects the will and wisdom of impacted communities.
For more information, visit https://alliancefor.org.