Activists supporting legislation that would have ended involuntary servitude in California Prisons and eliminate the word “slavery” from California’s Constitution say they may have lost a battle, but they will not back down until their goals are achieved.
Several members of the California Task Force to Study and Develop Reparations Proposals for African Americans received a standing ovation from constituents of the State Legislature last week for their work over the last 12 months.
Two weeks ago, President Joe Biden signed a federal policing accountability executive order based on the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021 authored by Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA-37). That action supplements other criminal justice reforms affecting Californians that took place this year. Several other criminal justice reforms at the state level went into effect in January.
The state Assembly voted 59-0 to approve the California Abolition Act on March 21, which would amend the Constitution of California to end involuntary servitude in the state.
To mark Black History Month, the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) held a virtual ceremony honoring people with the group’s Unsung Heroes award – people who exemplify selflessness, courage and service, and whose work to lift others often goes unrecognized.
“Vaccinate now” is the mandate from Los Angeles-area federal, state and local elected officials, who united on August 12 to implore African Americans and Latinos to receive the shot to counteract the latest surge in COVID-19 infections.
April Grayson, a policy associate for the Young Women’s Freedom Center and a formerly incarcerated Black woman, who spent 17 years behind bars, said she can’t wait to see the day when the language in Article 1, Section 6 of California’s Constitution is off the books.