SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The California Reparations Task Force took a crucial vote at its last meeting to decide who might be eligible for compensation. 

In a 5-4 vote, the task force limited reparations to slave descendants, rejecting a proposal to include all Black Americans.

Jonathan Burgess believes this is a good start, but says he and his brother, Matthew, are also pushing for restitution and restoration.

“Our family is one of the original pioneer families that helped found not only California, but they were here during the Gold Rush,” said Matthew Burgess.

The twin brothers have spent the last few years uncovering the untold stories of Black families like theirs. Their great-great-grandfather, Rufus Burgess, was one of the Golden State’s original pioneers.

“He was a pioneer, and he mined for gold, paid for his freedom and then he paid for his family to come over, which brought my great grandfather here in 1852,” said Matthew.

The Burgess family settled in Coloma, which is approximately 50 miles northeast of Sacramento. Rufus Burgess, Jonathan and Matthew’s great-grandfather, was an entrepreneur who owned a blacksmith business, orchard and garden, and was a gold miner.

Matthew and Jonathan are working to have their family’s legacy restored after they say the state took their ancestors’ land by eminent domain in order to build the Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park in El Dorado County.

“There’s a lot of harm and there’s trauma,” Matthew adds. “There are generations that have been silenced about this. My grandfather could not talk about it. My father could not talk about it. My mother was silenced, but now we’re the generation that can talk about it and we’re about change.”

When it comes to reparations, the siblings say they are pleased with the task force’s decision this week, but say their case is about restoring the land that belonged to their ancestors.

The Burgess family is working with an organization called Where Is My Land, which is the same group that helped the Bruce family in Manhattan Beach get their land back after it was taken from their ancestors in the 1920s.

“Just a few days ago, the governor of this great state found $100 million to offer to native people for their ancestral lands. So, I would ask him, what is he doing for the pioneer people that weren’t recognized as people in this state because of the color of their skin?” Jonathan noted.

Jonathan emphasized stories like his family's are one reason there is a racial wealth gap in the U.S. and believes it is the state’s responsibility to pay back what it took from his relatives. 

“If I put a dollar amount on it, we’re in the billions. I think the state has a surplus right now, so $2 billion is nothing for the state of California for the orchards that were stolen from Black families,” said Jonathan.

Besides sharing their story and providing witness statements at task force meetings, the siblings also have a children’s book called “The Gold Rush Burgess Descendants” aimed at teaching younger generations untold stories of the Gold Rush era.

“I hope this book inspires other people to do their research and write their history down,” adds Jonathan.

The brothers said they are hopeful Gov. Gavin Newsom will right the historical wrong done to the Burgess family.

Spectrum News reached out to Newsom’s office, but has not received a response yet.

Jonathan Burgess started a petition at change.org to help gather signatures for the restoration of his family’s seized land in Coloma.

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