2025 California Senate Judiciary Committee - Reparative Justice - Special Order

June 2021 our US Congress sent a Juneteenth bill to the Presidents Desk for his signature to become our newest Title 5 US Federal Holiday.

Spring 2025, California State Legislature currently does not recognize Juneteenth as an official paid holiday in alignment with US Federal Law.

The unique California Journey From Slavery to Freedom remains a quasi-optional notion where all State employees wishing to utilize the Federal Holiday must ask for permission and use a “floating /personal holiday.”

Our unique California Journey From Slavery to Freedom marked by the official milestone of Juneteenth is an occasion to share the need, purpose and benefits of Reparative Justice.

In 2020, our California State Legislative passed legislation and our Governor signed the bill into law establishing a Task Force to Study Reparations and Develop recommendations for future Legislative action.

Key Public Policy conversations will continue and the next California Governor will greatly impact how Reparative Justice and/or Reparations speakers to “previous condition of servitude” as a class seeking to be made whole from “Americas Peculiar Institution.”

Senate Bill (SB) 437 (Weber-Pierson) 2025 would require the California State University to independently research and report on scientific methodologies for determining an individual’s genealogical fingerprint to verify their status as a descendant of an enslaved person in the United States.

This bill is essential for the successful implementation of the California Reparations Task Force’s final recommendations.

To establish eligibility for the recommendations outlined by the Task Force, we must first have a clear, accurate, and evidence-based method for identifying descendants of American chattel slavery.

Many African Americans face significant challenges in tracing their lineage due to incomplete records, forced family separations, and the systemic erasure of their histories.

By tasking California State University with determining the best methods for establishing lineage, this bill would provide Black Californians with access to scientifically reliable, state-supported genealogical research that might otherwise be costly or difficult to obtain.

California Juneteenth remains an essential milestone seemingly overlooked yet an aligned path forward to validate our “hidden figures” from our California Underground Railroad Network to Freedom and United States Colored Troops who enlisted from California may offer instructive tools to align objectives.

Cali House Certified Genealogical Methodology specific to our unique Juneteenth stories throughout California before, during and after our California Gold Rush and US Civil War remains a parallel path this #California175.