Reparations official demands compensation beyond a 'single check' as advocates makes progress in California

Advocates for racial reparations in California after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 2599 — the Truth in Disclosure Act — into law. But key figures behind the effort say corporate transparency is only a starting point, maintaining that direct cash compensation remains essential.

Kristin Nimmers, policy and campaign manager for the California Black Power Network (CBPN) and the Alliance for Reparations, Reconciliation, and Truth, told Fox News Digital that financial reparations must go far beyond a "single check."

"We really focus on a harm-based approach, so whoever was harmed should be entitled to that repair," Nimmers said. "Compensation for slavery, unpaid labor, for the 40 acres and a mule that were promised after the end of slavery — that should go to folks who have lineage and are descendants of people who were enslaved, because that is the harm that is being repaired."

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However, Nimmers emphasized that racial inequities persisted long after the end of chattel slavery.

"Black Americans were denied wages. We were denied property. We were denied access to capital. We were denied access to equal education — all of that over hundreds of years," Nimmers added. "And so a single check is not going to holistically repair our communities."

AB 2599 requires qualifying corporations doing business in California with more than $100 million in gross revenue to search their historical records and publicly disclose any financial ties to chattel slavery. Lawmakers and advocacy groups are now attempting to leverage the bill's passage as momentum to turn broader recommendations from the California Reparations Task Force into law.

During the multi-year tenure of the California Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans (established under AB 3121), CBPN served as an official state community anchor. The coalition facilitated grassroots civic engagement across California, hosting listening sessions to gather public testimony that directly informed the task forces landmark 1,100-page final report issued in 2023.

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However, the path forward for direct cash payouts remains difficult. While Newsom signed AB 2599, the governor has consistently taken a cautious stance on direct financial restitution, resisting high-cost payout proposals and vetoing related financial measures backed by progressive lawmakers.

Newsom's office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment regarding CBPN's support for cash payments.

Progressive coalitions also face internal ideological divisions within the broader movement. Grassroots organizations like the U.S. Freedmen Project — comprised of self-identified "Foundational Black Americans" — strongly disagree with broader, harm-based eligibility frameworks. The group aims to educate the public on the legal and historical distinctions