Press Release:

GOVERNOR SIGNS HAYDEN BILLS RESEARCHING FINANCIAL GAINS FROM SLAVERY

Contact: Connie Brown (310) 441-9084 October 2, 2000
Rocky Rushing (916) 445-1353

SACRAMENTO – Governor Gray Davis has signed into law two bills authored by Senator Tom Hayden that begin researching the financial benefits accrued from slavery in the United States.

The bills, SB 2199, the Slaveholder Insurance Policies bill and SB 1737, the UC Slavery Colloquium bill were heavily supported statewide by African American organizations, community members at-large and African/African American studies departments in the CSU and UC systems.

Both bills augment current nationwide efforts to uncover and evaluate the economic profits that were amassed from slavery by slave owners and their ensuing businesses, and by corporations, utilities, insurance companies and their predecessors.

SB 2199, the Slaveholder Insurance Policies Bill calls on the state Insurance Commissioner to request from insurance companies doing business in California, the archival records of insurance policies held on slaves during Slavery in the U.S. Recently, Aetna Insurance Company apologized for underwriting policies on slaves after several policies were uncovered by a New York researcher. At least five (5) insurance companies are known to have issued policies insuring slave owners against the illness or death of their slaves.

“Imagine yourself as a descendent from unknown slaves whose lives and very names were missing from your family's history,” said Senator Hayden. “SB 2199 will now assist with the historical data collection that will help to fill these important gaps created by slavery.”

The UC Slavery Colloquium Bill asks the University of California to hold a research conference to explore and identify issues concerning the economic legacy of slavery in America. The project would be assisted by the California State Library which would utilize its resources to research forced slavery, chattel slavery and indentured servitude in California. The University of California agreed to fund the symposium.

“These bills begin research in a long-neglected field of study,” says Senator Hayden. “I’m hopeful that they will buttress existing efforts to analyze and assess the economic value of slaves in building this country. Uncovering this information is uncovering everyone’s history.”

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