Image by zulufotoOPINION – When I delivered my children in 2016 and 2018, I was afraid. I was there as a patient, but as a physician, I knew the data. When I put on that hospital gown, I was another Black woman at high risk for a bad outcome in maternity care.
Vocal advocates of reparations gather outside a 2019 Democratic event. (Photo: michelmond, via Shutterstock)Compensating the families of Black Californians who were scarred by slavery is a delicate, complex and controversial task — as the unprecedented state panel pondering the issue is finding out. The “fact that California is taking the first steps toward reparations for slavery is a major milestone,” Justine Leroy an assistant professor at UC Davis whose research specializes in the history of slavery and emancipation, said of the March 29 vote.