The California state Assembly unanimously passed a resolution yesterday urging the US Congress to study slave reparations, becoming the first state to back moves proponents hope will result in cash restitution for the nation's history of slavery.
The Assembly resolution will now be sent to Congress, according to its author, Democratic
state Senator Kevin Murray of Los Angeles, who added that it was the first resolution of its kind passed by any state in America.
The resolution supports Congressional efforts to establish a committee to study reparation proposals for African Americans, asks Congress to apologise to black Americans for the "fundamental injustice, cruelty, brutality and inhumanity of slavery," and urges the establishment of a national museum and memorial devoted to slavery in the United States.
