California Voters (Still) Reject Reparations?

Reparations are wealth redistribution: And maybe that’s a good thing.

Photo by Chris Henry on Unsplash.

“New poll finds California voters resoundingly oppose cash reparations for slavery,” blared the headline of the Los Angeles Times on Sunday.

“California voters oppose the idea of the state offering cash payments to the descendants of enslaved African Americans by a 2-to-1 margin, according to the results of a new poll that foreshadows the political difficulty ahead next year when state lawmakers begin to consider reparations for slavery,” wrote LA Times staff writer Taryn Luna.

Conservative media outlets had a field day: “If liberal voters in progressive California still overwhelmingly reject reparations, the contentious and unfeasible policy proposal doesn’t have a hope anywhere else in the country,” they reasoned.

While the finding might certainly be a setback — California in particular has been seriously exploring reparations policy proposals in recent years — the idea of reparations isn’t likely to end here.

In the United States, the concept of reparations has been a contentious and divisive issue for generations. Yet, the idea of compensating the descendants of enslaved individuals has somehow endured.