{snip}

Only one of the Democratic candidates at a forum sponsored by the Urban League of the Bay Area on Monday mentioned reparations when asked what their first act would be to ensure that people of color can thrive economically.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, the only Black candidate among the major Democratic hopefuls, was the only one who included reparations in his response. Yet Thurmond notably suggested giving loans to Black residents — not the cash payments that have been the most controversial piece of the reparations discussion.

“I will sign as governor a reparations package that gives loans to black folks who want to start a business to go to college or to pay for a home,” Thurmond said in response to the question by Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee, a former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Afterward, Lee said: “Reparations are a key strategy to achieve racial and economic equity. The only Black candidate (Thurmond) demonstrated a clear understanding of why this is critical.” Lee has endorsed Thurmond for governor.

{snip}

Newsom has vetoed five reparations-related bills supported by the Legislative Black Caucus, including one that would have enabled colleges to prioritize descendants of American slavery. He has said that “dealing with the legacy of slavery is about much more than cash payments.”

Other than Thurmond, most of the six Democratic candidates who attended Monday’s forum, sounded closer to Newsom’s position. Most deflected the question or answered by talking about DEI policies or their own race or ethnicity.

{snip}

The post California’s Next Governor Isn’t Likely to Push Reparations Effort Forward appeared first on American Renaissance.