Harlem Bespoke: A lot of other soul food restaurants in the neighborhood receive exponentially more press than BLVD Bistro at 116th and Frederick Douglass Boulevard but most folks in the neighborhood know that this is the place to splurge on good eats. Seats are filled to capacity indoors even before noon on weekends because early birds want a great seat for classics like the fantastic Shrimp and Grits. Jumbo shrimp, Bacon, cheese with just a hit of Jalapeno (for those who dare) top off exceptionally creamy grits that are a decadent treat. BLVD started out in a tiny brownstone storefront several years ago that had lines out the door but now this newer location seats more and so is a better fit for the in-demand eatery. More on BLVD Bistro can be found in our past post: LINK
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — As California lawmakers hail the work of a historic panel that has delved into reparations proposals for African Americans for nearly two years, a state senator on the task force is warning Black residents to not assume that large cash payments are on the way.
Democratic Sen. Steven Bradford, of Los Angeles, said “anything’s possible if the money’s there,” but he remains “realistic” that it could be difficult to garner enough support for large payments at a time when lawmakers haven’t even debated where the money would come from.
“I don’t want to set folks’ expectations and hopes up that they’re going to be getting, you know, seven-figure checks,” Bradford said in an interview. “That’s just not happening.”
The task force on Saturday approved proposals in its final report, which is officially due to lawmakers by July 1. They included estimates from economists who say the state is responsible for more than $500 billion due to decades of over-policing, mass incarceration and redlining that kept Black families from receiving loans and living in certain neighborhoods.
The panel stopped short of endorsing specific payment amounts but recommended “any reparations program include the payment of cash or its equivalent” to eligible residents. It doesn’t delve into how the state would pay for reparations programs.
Marcus Champion, a Los Angeles resident and organizer with the Coalition for a Just and Equitable California, a reparations advocacy group, criticized Bradford’s comments.
“That is not the way you come to the table to pay a historic debt,” he said. “That is not the way that you come to the table in any type of negotiation. Start as high as you possibly can, and then work from there.”
Payments are part of a long list of recommendations from the nine-member task force that has studied how the state could apologize and offer recompense for policies that drove housing discrimination, mass incarceration and health disparities long after chattel slavery was abolished. The proposals come as the state faces a projected $22.5 billion budget deficit.
Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement that “dealing with the legacy of slavery is about much more than cash payments.”
“The Reparations Task Force’s independent findings and recommendations are a milestone in our bipartisan effort to advance justice and promote healing,” Newsom said. “We need to wait for the Task Force to finish its work and submit its final report.”
Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer, another Los Angeles-area Democrat on the task force, took a more cautious approach in predicting the fate of payments or other reparations proposals. He said in an interview that it’s too early to know whether payments could get passed in the Legislature, as the committee’s report deadline looms.
“We have absolutely no idea right now what will or will not be approved,” he said.
The task force’s proposals are wide-ranging and ambitious. They include the creation of an agency that would help residents research their family’s history, promote financial literacy and preserve historic, cultural sites.
The panel has also endorsed policies to increase tree canopy in historically redlined areas, to provide more incarcerated people with job training that prepares them for life after their sentences and to restore land seized unfairly from Black families through eminent domain.
The committee is calling on the state to issue a formal, public apology for its legacy of slavery and discriminatory policies. Although California entered the union as a “free” state, it did not enact laws guaranteeing African Americans’ freedom, the draft report said. The apology could include a condemnation of Peter Hardeman Burnett, California’s first elected governor and a white supremacist who personally enslaved people and pushed for Black people’s exclusion from the state.
Assemblymember Lori Wilson, who chairs the state Legislative Black Caucus, said in a statement that the caucus will champion policy proposals included in the task force’s report.
“We look forward to working collaboratively with our Legislative colleagues and Governor Newsom’s Administration as we continue to fight for equity in our communities,” the San Francisco Bay Area Democrat wrote.
Newsom signed a law in 2020 creating the task force. The goal of the legislation — authored by Secretary of State Shirley Weber, a former state assemblymember — was for the panel to study remedies for Black Californians, “with a special consideration for” the descendants of people who were enslaved.
Last year, the task force voted that compensation be limited to descendants of Black people living in the United States before the end of 19th century. The panel more recently endorsed further limiting eligibility to residents living in California for at least six months while certain discriminatory policies and practices were in effect, with possible exceptions.
Weber’s bill stated a reparations program in California should not be considered a “replacement” for a program at the federal level. That issue has stalled in Congress with a bill to create a commission studying reparations proposals that has not been voted on since it was first introduced in the 1980s.
No other state in the country has gotten further along than California in its consideration of reparations proposals for Black Americans. Task Force Chair Kamilah Moore said she’s hopeful recommendations including the agency and payments could get enough support from state lawmakers.
“We’ve gone above and beyond,” Moore said of the group’s work.
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Sophie Austin is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Austin on Twitter: @sophieadanna
Saturday, May 13th, 12:00PM–2:00PM, The Billion Oyster Project at The Baylander, West Harlem Piers on the Hudson at 125th Street. Come see the Billion Oyster Project on the Baylander’s Jungle Deck. Learn about the project’s latest effort to restore our harbor! Oysters are the green way to filter New York waterways and used to be one of the most abundant species with the local ecosystem. The Billion Oyster Project has been successfully re-introducing the bivalves back in the greater New York Harbor and has a goal of one billion oysters in the waters by the time 2035 rolls around. More details at the city parks site: LINK
Monday, May 22nd, 7:00PM, When Harry Met Sally, United Palace at 4150 Broadway by 175th Street. Monthly movies have returned to United Palace for the new season and more classics return to uptown’s historic theater.The 1989 American romantic comedy-drama follows Harry and Sally from the time they meet in Chicago just before sharing a cross-country drive through twelve years of chance encounters and, ultimately, friendship in New York City. The film addresses but does not resolve the question: “Can men and women ever just be friends?” Starring Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, Carrie Fisher, and Bruno Kirby. Directed by Rob Reiner and written by Nora Ephron. Tickets available at the official United Palace site on Monday, May 15th: LINK
Harlem Bespoke: We received a wonderful response to our original Palm Cafe post a few years ago and thought it would something the Bespoke audience could appreciate. The above postcard is from around 1950:
Thanks for reviving old memories the the famous “Palm Cafe” where I worked as a waitress in the early sixties. Having said that, please be advised that the photographs do not reflect the dining room in its state of elegance. All tables were covered with white cloths and dressed with cloth dinner napkins. I have a photograph of the entire staff (including me) sitting at the rear of the dining room. One day, I will surprise you by sharing it. I remember waiting on Langston Hughes, Sidney Poitier and
Sam Cook. In fact, almost everyone who appeared at the Apollo Theater
visited the Palm Cafe. The owner was Ralph Bastone. His son Freddie Bastone, owned the famous “Top Club” at St. Nicholas and 125th Sts.
