What's going on?

California legislators just passed Senate Bill 518. The bill proposes to create a new state bureau called the Bureau for Descendants of American Slavery.

The Bureau created under SB-518 may be called the Bureau for Descendants of American Slavery, but in reality, it's not. The bill’s text makes clear that the Bureau will serve “both descendants AND communities harmed as described in Chapters 1 to 13 of the California Reparations Report.”

Translation: Anyone, whether or not you are a descendant.

Instead of centering the community whose ancestors endured chattel slavery in the United States, SB-518 broadens eligibility in a way that risks erasing and sidelining the very people Reparations are meant to serve.

This approach is not only misleading, it is deeply disrespectful. For generations, descendants of people freed from Chattel Slavery in the U.S. (American Freedmen) have carried the weight of stolen labor and stolen wealth, only to see resources and attention diverted elsewhere when it comes time for redress. Elected officials are once again using the history and lived experience of our people as political cover—while stripping away the focus, resources, and urgency that should be directed to us.

True Reparations means centering descendants, not diluting their claims. Any attempt to redefine or expand that focus repeats the very harms that the Reparations process was created to address. Californians deserve clarity, respect, and action—not another diversion dressed up in the language of Reparations.