California Legislature Passes Law to Make California the First State to Require Corporations to Disclose Slavery Profits

California is on the brink of becoming the first state in the nation to require corporations to declare under oath whether they or their predecessors profited from slavery.

With its passage in the full Senate, the California State Legislature adopted AB 2599, The Truth in Disclosure Act, authored by Assemblymember Isaac Bryan and a top priority for the California Legislative Black Caucus. The bill will now be sent to Governor Gavin Newsom for his signature.

The bill requires corporations doing business in California with annual revenue of $100 million in gross receipts or more to submit sworn affidavits — subject to perjury penalties — disclosing whether they or predecessor entities engaged in or profited from slavery-era transactions, with all filings posted to a publicly searchable state database.

The measure builds on California's existing disclosure framework. California has led the country on climate, supply chain, and pay transparency, and expands existing corporate disclosure laws requiring corporations doing business in California to engage in ethical business practices. No other state has yet required corporations to account for their historical role in the slave economy. The bill's public database would give journalists, researchers, and reparations advocates a tool to trace historical profits to present-day corporate wealth.

The Alliance for Reparations, Reconciliation, and Truth (ARRT) strongly urges Gov. Newsom to sign the bill.

California State Assemblymember Isaac Bryan:
"For too long, corporations have been allowed to benefit from the economic engine of slavery while avoiding any public accounting of that history," said. "AB 2599 is a moral imperative and changes that. Californians deserve to know which companies built their wealth on the backs of enslaved people — and they deserve that truth under oath."

Kaci Y. Patterson, Founder and Chief Architect of Social Good Solutions/Black Equity Collective: "Reparative justice is a key tenet of the Black Equity Collective's Policy & Advocacy work, and AB 2599 is essential to that commitment. Truth must precede repair. By confronting the historical record and strengthening transparency and accountability, California can understand the past, take responsibility in the present, and build a more equitable future. We thank Assemblymember Isaac Bryan for his leadership in authoring this important legislation. BEC proudly supports AB 2599 and urges Governor Gavin Newsom to sign the Truth in Disclosure Act into law. Truth is where repair begins, and accountability is how we move forward."

James Woodson, Chief Executive Officer of the California Black Power Network:
"Corporations have long profited from slavery while Black Californians have borne the public cost. AB 2599 ensures this history is officially recorded under oath and made accessible to all. The harm has been documented since 2023 in a report that's over 1,000 pages long. What corporations have profited from that harm has never been documented, and AB 2599 would change that. We urge Governor Newsom to sign this bill and reveal the truth openly."

Lisa Holder, President of the Equal Justice Society:
"The United Nation's formal acknowledgement this past March of the transatlantic slave trade as the gravest crime against humanity set a moral and reparative baseline for the world. AB 2599 grounds that international imperative into concrete state policy by compelling companies operating in California, the world's fourth-largest economy, to account for historical ties under oath. Moreover it supplies the necessary paper trail, documenting predecessor entities, collateralized human property, and institutional wealth accumulation, that scholars and policymakers need to translate broad reparative goals into actionable policy."

Pastor Michael McBride, Executive Director of Live Free USA:
"Since ARRT's inception, faith and congregational leaders across California have organized, prayed, and pushed for this day, because reparations work is moral work, and there is no neutral ground when it comes to truth. The prophet Amos declared, 'let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.' AB 2599 is part of that flow: it forces a reckoning with history that can no longer be dammed up by silence. Live Free USA has stood with ARRT from the beginning, and we will keep standing until repair is real and materialized to its fullest extent."

Teresa L. Gonzalez, State Director of Live Free California:
"As a detribalized Indigenous woman, I stand in solidarity with Black communities fighting for healing, justice, and liberation, because our histories, presents and futures are bound together. Live Free California centers systems-impacted Black leadership in this work, and we know that true repair cannot stop at disclosure. It must mean ending incarceration and every system of oppression built on the same profits AB 2599 exposes. This bill shines a light not only on who profited from slavery historically, but on who continues to profit from harm today, and that light is long overdue."

Dr. Cheryl Grills, former member of the California Reparations Task Force, and Professor Emerita (Psychology) at Loyola Marymount University and Founder of their Psychology Applied Research Center: "The harms from enslavement and their cross-generational legacies were multifaceted. No doubt, the repair must be equally multifaceted, layered, and capable of promoting systemic and institutional remedies. This is necessary if we are to strike a blow to structural racism, the offspring of African enslavement. The Truth in Disclosure Act, AB 2599, represents a significant step in that direction by compelling the transparency needed to address those foundational harms."

Donald K. Tamaki, former member of the California Reparations Task Force: "Two chapters of the California Reparations Task Force report document in painstaking detail how corporations built enormous fortunes extracted from the free labor of enslaved people and how that wealth compounded for generations while Black families were locked out. The Truth in Disclosure Act follows the recommendations of the task force report by compelling corporations to publicly declare under oath how their fortunes were extracted from the stolen labor of enslaved people. This public transparency is a critical first step toward full accountability and implementing the Task Force's broader recommendations."

Should Governor Newsom sign AB 2599, it would represent the 15th reparations bill passed since the 2023 issuance of the California Reparations Task Force report and yet another step forward in the continued momentum of implementing those recommendations.

In 2025, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law SB 437 (Weber-Pierson), requiring the California State University to explore options to determine how to confirm an individual's status as a descendant, and SB 518 (Weber‑Pierson), creating the Bureau for Descendants of American Slavery, housed within the Civil Rights Department.

In 2024, Gov. Newsom signed several reparations bills, including AB 3089, a formal apology by the State of California for its role in perpetuating slavery and its ongoing legacy of systemic racism.

This historic journey started with Gov. Newsom's signing of AB 3121 into law on Sept. 30, 2020, to create the first-in-the-nation California Reparations Task Force. After two years of research and 30 public hearings, the task force in 2023 delivered a 1,100-page book of truth that documents past and continuing harm of anti-Black discrimination in every facet of American life and across every sector of California civil society, outlining 115 comprehensive policies for repairing the harm.

About the Alliance for Reparations, Reconciliation, and Truth (ARRT): The Alliance for Reparations, Reconciliation, and Truth (ARRT) is a multiracial, multisector coalition advancing truth-telling, accountability, and public education related to the enduring impacts of slavery and systemic harm in California. Learn more at alliancefor.org.

PEOPLE’S ORGANIZATION FOR PROGRESS WILL GO TO THE MARCH ON WASHINGTON

The People’s Organization For Progress (POP) is sponsoring a bus trip to the protest that will take place in Washington, D.C., the nation’s capital, on Friday, August 28, 2026. 

The theme of the protest is “March On Washington: Defend The Vote.” It is being called by the Rev Al Sharpton and his National Action Network, Martin Luther King III, and other civil rights organizations. 

“We endorse the march and we are sending a bus to the protest in Washington because we believe the right to vote is under attack and in grave peril today,” stated Lawrence Hamm, Chairman, People’s Organization For Progress. 

“Democracy in the United States is in great danger because it is being undermined by the racist and fascist Trump administration, backed up by the right-wing dominated Congress, and supported by the ultra-conservative super majority on the Supreme Court,” Hamm said. 

The POP sponsored bus is one of hundreds of busses from New Jersey, New York, and around the nation that will be journeying to Washington for the March. It will be leaving from Newark at 4:3Oam Friday morning. 

The march is being held on the 63rd anniversary of the 1963 Great March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom where the Dr Martin Luther King Jr gave his famous “I Have A Dream” speech. 

That march was held on August 28th, the date in 1955 on which 14 year-old Emmett Till was murdered by white racists in Money, Mississippi. 

This was just three months before the arrest of Rosa Parks and the start of the Montgomery Bus boycott which gave rise to the Civil Rights Movement. 

More than 250,000 people attended the March On Washington that year. The following year the 1964 Civil Rights Act was passed, and the next year the 1965 Voting Rights Act was passed. 

“We must march because those rights, including the right to vote, which were fought for and paid for with lives, and blood, and sacrifices of many kinds in our lifetime are being taken away before our very eyes,” he said. 

“Because of the Supreme Court decision in the Louisiana v Callais case we may end up losing as many as nineteen African American representatives due to racist gerrymandering. 

“And now the Trump administration is attempting to restrict and stop mail-in voting in an attempt to steal the midterm congressional elections. The People’s Organization For Progress is absolutely opposed to any attempt by President Trump to interfere with, impede or stop mail-in voting,” he said. 

While some POP members and supporters will be going to the march in Washington DC others will be rallying here at home for voting rights that same day. 

A “Community Rally,” observing the 63rd anniversary of March On Washington will be held on Friday, August 28th, 5:30pm at the Somerset Municipal Complex, 475 Demott Lane, Somerset, New Jersey.

A key organizer of this event is author, activist, and educator Bill Davis, a member of the People’s Organization For Progress, and a leader of the group’s Central Jersey branch. 

“We are having this rally to demand the abolition of ICE, economic justice, improved Black employment, an end to police brutality,  end racist gerrymandering and redistricting, an end to the war with Iran, and reparations for African Americans whose ancestors were enslaved,” Davis stated. 

The event is endorsed by Peoples Organization for Progress, March Forward, NAACP New Brunswick & Edison Branches, NJ Black Women, and MT Zion AME Church.

Finally, POP will continue the fight for voting rights after the events of August 28th. 

The group will hold a forum entitled “The Attack On Voting Rights And The War On Black People,” Thursday, September 11, 2026, 7:00pm at New Hope Baptist Church of East Orange, 144 Norman Street in East Orange, New Jersey. 

For more information on the POP bus trip to the March On Washington or the voting rights forum in East Orange call (973)801-0001. For additional information on the rally in Somerset contact Bill Davis at 732-647-8212.

NABJ Stands With Karen Attiah and Renews Call for Accountability at The Washington Post

The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) welcomes the arbitrator's ruling in favor of Karen Attiah, finding that The Washington Post did not have "good and sufficient cause" to terminate her employment and ordering her reinstatement with back pay.

Attiah was dismissed last year after raising concerns about the treatment of Black journalists and the broader direction of the newsroom. NABJ raised serious concerns about her firing when it happened, including what her termination signaled about the treatment, retention and protection of Black journalists inside one of the nation's most influential news organizations. The arbitrator's ruling reinforces why those concerns warranted serious scrutiny.

It also comes one week after NABJ presented The Washington Post with a 2026 Thumbs Down Award, recognizing the organization for decisions and practices that have undermined Black journalists, diversity in the newsroom and public trust in journalism.

"When NABJ raises concerns about the treatment of Black journalists, we do so because the decisions news organizations make have real consequences for our members, our profession and the communities we serve," said NABJ President Errin Haines. "Karen Attiah deserved a fair process, and she showed tremendous courage in pushing back, standing up for herself and fighting for what she believed was right. This ruling affirms that the serious questions surrounding her termination were warranted. The Washington Post now has an opportunity to listen, learn and demonstrate through its actions what meaningful accountability looks like."

"The Washington Association of Black Journalists was proud to support Karen Attiah throughout this process. We hope this landmark decision sends a message to newsrooms everywhere: Black journalists deserve to work in environments where we are free from attempts to silence our voices," said WABJ President Phil Lewis. "Organizations like WABJ and NABJ will continue to advocate for our members."

The Thumbs Down Award is not about punishment. It is a call for institutions with tremendous influence over our profession to examine their decisions, listen to the journalists affected by them and make meaningful changes when they fall short.

NABJ will continue to advocate for Black journalists across the country. Today, we renew our call for The Washington Post to engage seriously with the concerns we have raised about Black representation, retention, newsroom culture and the treatment of Black journalists.

This moment presents an opportunity for The Post to demonstrate that accountability can lead to change. NABJ stands ready to have that conversation.

U.S. Postal Service Continues Its Tradition of Celebrating Kwanzaa

The USPS will issue its 11th stamp celebrating Kwanzaa, the pan-African holiday observed by millions of Americans each year from Dec 26 to Jan 1.

The pan-african holiday Kwanzaa, observed annually from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, brings together family, community and culture. Created in the United States in 1966 and drawing on a variety of African traditions, it was intended to help unify African Americans from a wide array of religious and cultural backgrounds. The name "Kwanzaa" is derived from the Swahili phrase meaning "first fruits."

The 2026 Kwanzaa stamp — the 11th since 1997 in an ongoing series — brings a fresh approach. While many of the stamps have portrayed family, this is the first one to feature a father and daughter. In addition, the color scheme — lime green, pink and yellow — is an updated take on the customary black, red and green.

n the traditional side, the stamp artwork incorporates two of the seven Kwanzaa symbols: the gift (zawadi), held by the daughter, and the unity cup (kikombe cha umoja), held by the father.

Antonio Alcalá, an art director for USPS, designed the stamp with original artwork by Cannaday Chapman.

The Kwanzaa stamp will be issued as a Forever stamp and will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price.

Texas Southern University Names Corey Lowery Men's Basketball Head Coach

Texas Southern University announced the hiring of Corey Lowery as the next head coach of the men's basketball program.

Lowery brings 27 years of coaching experience to Houston, including 13 seasons as a collegiate head coach and an overall head coaching record of 266-73.

"Coach Lowery has won at every level and every stop of his career," said President J.W. Crawford III. "Beyond constructing winning rosters and producing on the court, he is a maker of men off the court. I am confident that he will continue Texas Southern basketball's championship tradition into the University's next century."

Lowery arrives at Texas Southern after four seasons as an assistant coach at Seton Hall University, where he was part of a staff that earned 42 wins — the most in Seton Hall history for a coaching staff in its first two seasons — and capped the 2024 season with an NIT National Championship.

Prior to Seton Hall, Lowery spent two seasons as head men's basketball coach at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. His inaugural season opened with a 3-0 start before being discontinued due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In his first full season (2021-22), Lowery led Lincoln to a second-place finish in the CIAA Northern Division after the team had been picked to finish 10th in the preseason poll. The turnaround earned him CIAA Coach of the Year honors. That season, Zahrion Blue was named CIAA Player of the Year and freshman Bakir Cleveland was named to the CIAA All-Rookie Team. Lowery was also selected to coach in the inaugural HBCU All-Star Game.

"It is an absolute honor and privilege to be named the Head Men's Basketball coach at Texas Southern University," Lowery said. "Texas Southern is rooted in a proud tradition of winning championships and I consider this University not only the premier institution in the SWAC but one of the top in the country. I will work tirelessly to serve and uphold the standard of excellence that already exists at Texas Southern University."

Before Lincoln, Lowery served as Director of Player Development at Saint Peter's University from 2018-20. Prior to Saint Peter's, Lowery spent six seasons as head coach at Essex County College, leading the Wolverines to six consecutive regular-season conference championships, five consecutive region championships and five consecutive appearances in the NJCAA Division II Tournament. Essex County finished as national championship finalist in 2014 and advanced to the Final Four in both 2014 and 2016.

As head coach at Middlesex County College, Lowery guided his team to three consecutive conference championships, a region championship and an appearance in the Elite Eight of the NJCAA Division III Tournament in 2008.

Lowery began his head coaching career at Hillside High School, where he led his teams to a conference championship and two state championship appearances.