Op-Ed: Can You Hear Us? Our Pain Is Real

July 28, 2025

Kellie Todd Griffin presents a powerful critique of California's systemic inequalities affecting Black communities despite the state's progressive reputation. She highlights the extensive documentation in California's Reparations Report that details generations of discrimination in housing, policing, education, and healthcare affecting Black Californians. Griffin emphasizes stark statistics showing Black Californians face disproportionate rates of poverty, homelessness, unemployment, and healthcare disparities, including that Black women earn just $0.

Who is affected

Black Californians (over 2 million people)
Black women in California who earn $0.61 for every dollar a white man earns
Black children who are suspended at higher rates and underrepresented in gifted programs
Black households (only 34% own homes compared to 64% of white households)
Black workers overrepresented in essential but underpaid jobs
Black women who are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications
Black youth who experience the highest suicide rates among their peers

What action is being taken

Black communities across California are speaking out and demanding to be heard
Black Californians are building coalitions and power building across the state
Black voices are amplifying their lived experiences to drive change
The California Black Women's Collective Empowerment Institute is championing initiatives that amplify Black women's voices
The California Legislative Black Caucus is pursuing reparations efforts

Why it matters

California's progressive image doesn't match the reality for many Black residents who continue to struggle
The state's own Reparations Report (over 1,100 pages) documents how the state has inflicted generational harm on Black residents
Current inequalities are severe and pervasive across housing, economics, education, and healthcare
Without addressing these systemic issues, the economic gap will persist (the article notes it would take until 2227 to close the wage gap)
The physical, emotional, and economic toll on Black Californians is described as "unconscionable"

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: The San Diego Voice & Viewpoint