On May 11, the California Assembly Judiciary Committee voted yes on a bill that would mandate the state to set up an 8-member commission to examine how California engaged in — and benefited from — the enslavement of Black men, women, and children.

If the bill, AB 3121, passes, it would charge the commission with coming up with proposals for redressing the “negative effects of slavery,” which could include direct payments to Black Californians.

“California was nominally a ‘free state,’ but in practice, we allowed slavery within our borders even after statehood, while runaway slaves were often denied sanctuary by the courts,” said Assemblymember Shirley Weber (D-San Diego), author of AB 3121 and chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC).

At the committee hearing for the bill, Weber said the legislation is the number one priority of the CLBC.

“Income and wealth inequality have roots in slavery and have been codified time and again with anti-black policy decisions,” said Isaac Bryan, Executive Director of UCLA’s Black Policy Project at the Bunche Center for African American Studies.