Reparations Task Force to Recommend “Genealogy Branch” to Prove Eligibility

Antonio Ray Harvey| California Black Media

The California Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans is recommending that the State Legislature fund a governmental department dedicated to assisting reparations applicants prove their ancestry to enslaved people in the United States.

The task force’s proposal to establish a “genealogy branch” within the proposed California American Freedmen Affairs Agency (CAFAA) will be included in the task force’s final report, which is scheduled to be submitted to the Legislature by the end of June 2023. The branch would provide access to expert genealogical research to confirm reparations eligibility for an estimated 2.5 million Black Americans in California who are likely to seek restitution.

“The legislation that created the California Reparations Task Force requires the body to recommend reparations proposals that provide special consideration for descendants of slaves,” task force chairperson Kamilah V. Moore told California Black Media on April 10. “Thus, eligibility for Californians should they qualify for reparations through the proposed California American Freedmen Affairs Agency is of utmost importance. The agency will be positioned to provide perpetual special consideration to this unique and special group, through direct reparatory justice services and oversight of existing agencies.”

The task force will recommend that the CAFAA be headquartered in Sacramento and have satellite offices all around the state. California is in line to become the first state in the United States to provide Black Americans reparations, or restitution for slavery and other state-sanctioned discrimination or exclusion.

As the determining factor for compensation, the task force narrowly decided in March 2022 that lineage, not race, will determine who will be eligible for reparations to align with Proposition 209, state law prohibiting the consideration of race in public policy decisions or determinations.

During that March 2022 meeting, the task force listened to the perspectives of 11 genealogy experts who offered insights on qualification for reparations before voting 5-4 in favor of eligibility.

(SDUSMP), a society that works to preserve the memory and history of slavery.

The 10-year-old organization, McDowell said, has successfully helped its members trace their lineage through a mix of research and analysis of the U.S Census, birth and death certificates, and state laws that tracked the enslaved.

“My purpose here is to tell the (task force) that it is absolutely possible to trace one’s lineage to individuals who were enslaved in the United States,” McDowell said. “For the vast majority of African Americans, it is relatively easy.”

Dr. Hollis Gentry, a genealogy specialist at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture Library, shared personal experiences of tracing her ancestry to slavery. She used the Freedmen's Bureau Records, national archives, and records from Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR).

Gentry suggested that an agency should be established to manage the eligibility process. It should be connected to state archives and offices of vital records to facilitate access to records that would assist reparations applicants.

Other genealogists who testified pointed to the lack of access to historical records and the difficulties created when enslaved families were separated after members were sold, traded, and auctioned.

Kellie Farrish, a genealogist with over 15 years of experience in Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) analysis and lineage tracing using DNA, provided instructions for how one might want to do genealogy research to locate “enslaved ancestors using the completely free Familysearch. com website.”

Farrish, the lead genealogist for the non-profit Reparation Generation, noted three criteria for determining potential reparations applicants’ lineage: ancestors born in the Deep South states prior to 1865, ancestors living in the U.S. prior to the 1900s, and ancestors living in the Deep South states prior to the Great Migration of the 1940s.

“First, we must define what it means to be African American. For the sake of this discussion, African Americans are those involuntarily brough to the United States for the purpose of being enslaved,” Farrish told the task force. “Using genealogy to prove descendancy from this group would involve tracing one’s lineage back to either a person enslaved in this system or a time when there was little to no presence of legal voluntary immigration from African or Caribbean countries.”

In August 2022, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill (SB) 189, legislation that would facilitate processing lineagebased reparations claims using state data. SB 189 authorizes the State Controller’s Office and the Department of Human Resources to disaggregate Black employee demographic data in an effort to identify who has immigrant origins and who descends from enslaved people in the United States.

SB 189 was authored by the Coalition for a Just and Equitable California (CJEC) continued on page 8

Vincent Chin Institute Launched by AsAm Lawmakers, Organizers at US Capitol

By Julia Tong but will also advance solidarity to fight bigotry and empower underserved communities around the country.”

The institute will help to preserve the memory of Vincent Chin, who was killed 40 years ago at a time of severe anti-Asian hate, and comes as hate crimes targeting Asian Americans is once again on the rise.

History repeating

Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA)

Credit: Les Talusan

Vincent Chin Institute Launched by AsAm Lawmakers, Organizers at US Capitol...continued opposing anti-China rhetoric in Congress. Yet, she claims, she is consistently met with ignorance from other legislators on his story.

“Each time we take on this fight… I talk about what happened to Vincent Chin. Some members of Congress are shocked because they never even heard of story,” said Chu.

“Which is why we need the Vincent Chin Institute and why we need the second edition of The Vincent Chin legacy guide. It will be phenomenal in helping all communities learn about Vincent’s story and the consequences of xenophobic rhetoric.”

The Vincent Chin Legacy Guide seeks to rectify this issue by providing an educational overview of Vincent’s life and death, in context of the antiAsian discrimination prevalent in the US. The 64-page guide is available for free download online in 7 different languages (Arabic, Bengali, Simplified and Traditional Mandarin, English, Korean, Spanish, and Vietnamese). It is primarily intended for K-12 educators, students, and adults.

David Inoue, the Executive Director of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), recalled that Chin’s death left a major impact on him as he grew up in the Midwest. He hopes the Legacy Guide will help educate future generations on Chin’s story.

“Through the Vincent Chin Legacy Guide, children like my own, not much older than I was when Chin was killed, can learn about the racism and scapegoating that led to Chin’s murder and how this flashpoint in our country’s history has changed our Asian American community for the better,” he said.

Fighting anti-Asian hate

The Vincent Chin Institute aims to fight anti-Asian hate today by continuing the legacy Chin left behind. Chin’s death launched a major pan-Asian civil rights movement, sparking widespread solidarity in the fight against anti-Asian hate.

Today, the Institute’s initiatives include creating a national network of veteran community leaders fighting antiAsian hate and Sinophobia, and educating about the history of Asian American discrimination, solidarity, and activism through partnerships with the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center (APAC), American Citizens for Justice, and other organizations. Finally, it aims to center Asian American communities that are underserved, have unmet needs, or lack existing advocacy structures.

These initiatives are important to build the strong nationwide communities and networks that were critical in the wake of Chin’s death, says journalist and author Helen Zia.

Zia played a central role in mobilizing the Asian American community in response to Chin’s death. Today, she continues her advocacy work, writing the Vincent Chin Legacy Guide, and serving as a central organizer for the Vincent Chin institute.

Zia says that Chin’s legacy can be an inspiring reminder of the unity that is capable of combatting anti-Asian hate.

“The lessons of solidarity that came out of the Vincent Chin civil rights movement showed how people of diverse Asian ethnicities, together with other people of color and people of conscience, could come together for justice and against hate towards any people,” she said during the launch of the Institute.

“Today we honor the legacy of Vincent Chin to launch the Institute in his name as we carry on the important work of ending hate and protecting our beloved communities.”

California tribes, lawmakers host weeklong historic commemoration of missing or murdered Native Americans May 1 to May 5

Call to action around National Missing or Murdered Indigenous People Day (May 5), as two Calif. tribes under emergency declarations

County/Government News disloyal to the US by Texas Rep. Lance Gooden. emergency declarations on this issue, as well as Ramos, other lawmakers, advocates, and members of the Assembly Select Committee on Native American Affairs. (Livestreamed on Ramos’ Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/ events/1312871316103331/ and YouTube: https://youtube.com/live/ M-VxCzR2COo?feature=share)

SACRAMENTO—As the national day to commemorate Missing or Murdered Indigenous People (MIIP) on May 5 nears, the California Native American Legislative Caucus will mark the first week in May with a round of activities highlighting disproportionate cases of violence against Native Americans. California has two tribes that have declared a state of emergency because of violence against their tribal members.

These effects, though aimed at Chinese Americans, inevitably affect all Asian Americans. Chin, for instance, was killed in an era of anti-Japanese sentiment — despite being Chinese himself.

Agenda attached to email

On April 26th, AAPI Congressman, educators, and organizers gathered in front of the US Capitol to launch the Vincent Chin Institute, a network of veteran AAPI organizers fighting against a rise in antiAsian hate.

The launch also coincided with the release of the second edition of the Vincent Chin Legacy Guide, co-written by Helen Zia, which provides further education about the history of anti-Asian discrimination and racism in the United States.

The Legacy Guide and Institute are both named in honor of Vincent Chin, a Chinese American man who was killed in a widely publicized hate crime in 1982. Over 40 years later, however, his story remains starkly relevant— especially in an era of sharp anti-Asian racism and Sinophobia.

“The murder of Vincent Chin and the rhetoric that inspired it has been on many of our minds as we continue to see near daily attacks on Asian Americans,” said Rep. Judy Chu, who chairs the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC).

“The launch of the Vincent Chin Institute and release of the Vincent Chin Legacy Guide will not only educate Americans about this dark moment in our nation’s history,

Chin’s murder by two Detroit auto workers, which sent shockwaves through the country, occurred during an era of severe anti-Asian racism. At the time, the economic rivalry between the US and Japan triggered targeted hate against Asian Americans, and was a direct cause of Chin’s death.

At the launch, speakers drew parallels between the circumstances of Chin’s death and the anti-Asian racism today that puts all Asian Americans at risk. They highlighted how Chinese Americans are scapegoated for the COVID-19 pandemic; face proposed discriminatory legislation, such as alien land laws and Trump’s China Initiative; and are routinely suspected of spying for China.

Chu, the first Chinese American woman elected to congress, was also recently accused of being

“The antagonistic rhetoric around US-Japan competition that surrounded Vincent’s death is a reminder that words have consequences for innocent bystanders,” said Rep. Grace Meng.

“I fear such rhetoric today, if left unaddressed, will cause more harm to our community. We must and we can do better.”

Preserving Chin’s legacy

Given these circumstances, speakers contended that learning from the circumstances of Chin’s death is critical to prevent the same hate from threatening AAPI lives. Yet Chin’s story remains underdiscussed: It is rarely taught in schools, and the historical context surrounding it is often missing.

Chu, for instance, frequently references Chin’s death when

Round Valley Indian Tribes declared a State of Emergency in April, after two members were founded murdered, the latest victims in Northern California of Missing or Murdered Indigenous People. The tribal action was preceded In December of 2021 by the Yurok Tribe, in Humboldt County. The Yurok Tribe action followed seven women reported being approached by possible traffickers and the still unsolved case of Emmilee Risling, reported missing in October 2021. The Yurok Tribe has been at the forefront in confronting the crisis and called for a summit of California Tribes and others held last year to address the issue. Summit participants called for implementation of a public notification alert when Native Americans go missing—the 2022 “Feather Alert” law (similar to the AMBER Alert) authored by Assemblymember James C. Ramos (D-San Bernardino).

MMIP WEEK OF CAPITOL ACTIVITIES

Tuesday, May 2—8:30 to 9:15 a.m. news briefing in State Capitol Room 317on the vital issues spotlighted this week. Attending will be tribal chairpersons, including two who have issued

Tuesday, May 2 through Friday, May 5—Capitol Dome illuminated in red for first time ever to commemorate Missing or Murdered Indigenous People.

Tuesday, May 2, 9:30 a.m. to 12 noon—Assembly Select Committee on Native American Affairs informational hearing on MIIP entitled, “Not Invisible: California’s Work to Combat the Crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People.” State Capitol, Room 126. Among those participating are Ramos, select committee chair; tribal leaders; law enforcement representatives; and advocates. (Televised at: https:// www.assembly.ca.gov/schedulespublications/todays-events )

Wednesday, May 3, 6:30 p.m. to approximately 8:30 p.m.— Candlelight vigil and program, state Capitol west steps. Anticipate 800 to 1,000 people. Tribal leaders, lawmakers, advocates, Native American cultural performances. (Livestreamed on Ramos’ Facebook page, https://www. facebook.com/AsmJamesRamos )

Thursday, May 4 at 9 a.m.— Assembly Floor Session. Assemblymember Ramos will open the session with a Native song and prayer memorializing MIIP. Vote also set on ACR 25, designating May as Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Month.