Slavery is a shameful and integral part of the history of the United States, and its legacy persists today in discrimination, racism, and disparities across health, education, and economic life. California has required some insurers to disclose slavery-era records, but most corporations have never been required to publicly account for their historical ties to slavery or the slave trade. Wealth that has been made off the backs of enslaved people has compounded, and some corporate successors of these businesses remain in operation in California today.

While public acknowledgement will not undo the abuses that stem from slavery and racism, it will begin repairing them. AB 2599 begins that necessary step. And you have the opportunity to help us pass this important bill. Specifically, AB 2599 would require businesses with more than $100 million in annual worldwide revenue that do business in California to search for and publicly disclose records of their own or predecessor companies’ involvement in slavery or the slave trade. It would also require the California Civil Rights Department to create a public database making those records accessible.

Transparency is a necessary first step toward accountability for the lasting harms whose effects persist today. By requiring companies to disclose their historical ties to slavery, AB 2599 would help hold corporations accountable and shed light on harms that occurred and disparities that endure. That accountability recognizes the dignity of African Americans and begins the long road toward repair. 

Help begin the process of healing through accountability. Help pass AB 2599.

P.S. Read more about the need for AB 2599 in our support letter.