June 7, 2024
Contact: ardi@ceo.lacounty.gov
Continuing the Work of Reparations in Los Angeles County
With the adoption of the June 4, 2024 motion entitled Continuing the Work of Reparations in Los Angeles County, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has taken steps to address the issue of reparations by acknowledging historical wrongdoings and further committing the County of Los Angeles (County) to being an anti-racist entity.
Systemic racism and discriminatory policies have disproportionately harmed people of color and marginalized communities, especially African-Americans, in the U.S. and in Los Angeles County. This motion is a critical step towards acknowledging the injustices that have shaped the lives of many in our communities including any LA County resident who is a lineal descendant of an African-American Chattel enslaved person (descendants of enslaved people who were abducted from their African homelands by force to be enslaved in North America) or of a free African-American person living in the United States prior to the end of the 19th Century (“Community of Eligibility Residents”).
In June 2023, the California Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans (Reparations Task Force) released its final report (Report). With more than 115 recommendations, the Report provides valuable guidance for the County as it continues to do its part of this important work. For more information on upcoming and related reparations efforts, visit our website:
ceo.lacounty.gov/ardi/reparations
Additionally, in celebration of Juneteenth 2024 and as a representation of the County’s commitment to the hard but necessary work of reparations, the County will provide free admission and access on June 19, 2024, to participating museums and beaches in Los Angeles County to the “Community of Eligibility Residents,” as defined above.
The Anti-Racism, Diversity, and Inclusion (ARDI) Initiative encourages eligible LA County residents to take advantage of this opportunity. A form is available for eligible residents to complete to receive more information and to access these benefits by visiting our webpage here:
ceo.lacounty.gov/ardi/reparations/#juneteenth2024
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About the Anti-Racism, Diversity, and Inclusion (ARDI) Initiative
On July 21, 2020, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a motion to establish an Anti-Racist Los Angeles County Policy Agenda to address “generational inequality and systemic anti-Black racism.” Recognizing that racism is “a matter of public health in Los Angeles County,” and that racism against Black people and communities of color has resulted in large disparities in family stability, health and wellbeing, education, employment, economic development, public safety, criminal justice and housing, the Board directed the County Chief Executive Officer to establish the Anti-Racism, Diversity, and Inclusion (ARDI) Initiative.