Commentary: The overlooked reason reparations make sense in California and elsewhere

Californians are weighing in publicly on the idea of reparations to Black Americans, with the state’s Reparations Task Force set to report their recommendations by July 1. This initiative builds on smaller-scale efforts, such as in my hometown of Evanston, Illinois, which in 2021 became the first U.S. city to promise limited financial reparations for slavery and city-sanctioned discriminatory housing policies.

Nationwide, much of the reparations conversation has focused on the financial burdens set in place by slavery and subsequent racist government policies. As a direct result of these factors,