In addition to the federal proposals for reparations, various local and state-level initiatives are currently undergoing to make up for slavery and racism. St. Louis became the latest major city to explore reparations when it convened its Commission on Reparations last month. Earlier this month, Washington state signed into law a program to provide financial compensation for victims of “redlining” housing discrimination. The California Reparations Task Force created in 2020 has formally endorsed a slew of major proposals to redress the impact of slavery, mass incarceration, and other forms of anti-Black systemic racism in the state. These include tens of thousands of dollars in cash payments to Black Californians as well as a host of other reforms; the state legislature could soon begin voting on these measures which could constitute the largest reparations program in the country so far.
Bush’s $14 trillion Reparations Now bill is unlikely to pass in the currently divided Congress. Yet, her bold statement represents the massive effects of racism and the radical steps necessary to address it in this country.