How would you like $350K? To earn it, you need to be black and live in California. That’s the case, if an erstwhile athlete’s idea of justice is served.
In 2020 — the year of George Floyd and Black Lives Matter — California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill establishing the Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals. In June, the first-of-its-kind group released a 500-page report on harm done to the state’s black population. As recently relayed by RedState’s Jerry Wilson, it was recommended that “every black American who descended from slaves…be given $223,200…as compensation for…’housing discrimination.’” That amount would cover bigoted bias between 1933 and 1977.
But amid the Task Force’s meeting Wednesday, 35-year-old businessman and former pro triathlete Max Fennell insisted on a much-improved payout to all black residents.
Here’s how he put it, per the Daily Mail:
“The tangibles of what I’m asking for is $350,000 per black American in California…”
The reason is simple:
“It’s a debt that’s owed, we worked for free.”
And lest there be any misunderstanding:
“We’re not asking; we’re telling you.”
Of course, discussion of reparations for black citizens is nothing new. And the subject has been significantly stirring as of late:
Harvard Apologizes for Slavery, Offers $100 Million to Make It Better
All About the Benjamins: Ice Cube Says Hollywood Owes Black Entertainers Reparations
Making History: Illinois City Becomes the First in America to Pay Reparations to Black Residents
Oregon Eyes Giving $123,000 to Black Residents Who Can Prove Ancestral Slavery
As for California, it looks to mean big business. Will it grant Max Fennell’s wish? If so, that’s quite the tall taxpayer order.
And Max wants more than merely money for individuals. Back to the Mail:
Max…said…Black-owned businesses should receive $250,000, which would help them to flourish.
Additionally, he insisted, those businesses should be given 15-20 acres of land.
Max may not have noticed a shortage of spare acreage in Southern California. The state is similarly short on other things — like drivable roads. The citizenry’s taxes seem to have been expertly used elsewhere. Might reparations also upstage road repair? It wouldn’t be surprising.
Perhaps fittingly, Wednesday’s meeting occurred in Oakland:
The committee met…at City Hall in Oakland, a city that was the birthplace of the Black Panthers but has lost some of its African American population as rising home prices forced people out.
Over the last 246 years, our nation has accomplished much. One thing less than attained as of 2022: unity. Politically and racially, there appears to be a fair amount of tribalism. And whether or not California coughs up colossal amounts of compensatory cash, that won’t likely change any time soon…
Fennell posted a video on Instagram showing him at the hearings, with around 60 others, alongside the caption: “Witnessing history with the tribe.”