1.0" ?> 20250SR__007798ENR 98 INTRODUCED 2026-02-09 PASSED_SENATE 2026-02-09 ENROLLED 2026-02-10 2025 0 SR 77 ENR Introduced by Senators Weber Pierson, Richardson, and Smallwood-Cuevas LEAD_AUTHOR SENATE Weber Pierson LEAD_AUTHOR SENATE Richardson LEAD_AUTHOR SENATE Smallwood-Cuevas Relative to condemning racism. condemning racism

WHEREAS, This year marks the centennial anniversary of Black History Month, a time when our nation should be honoring the immeasurable contributions of Black Americans and recommitting ourselves to confronting racism, discrimination, and hate in all forms; and

WHEREAS, United States President Donald J. Trump posted on the social media platform Truth Social a video clip depicting former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as apes; and

WHEREAS, The depiction of Black people as apes, monkeys, or other wild animals is a long-standing and widely recognized racist trope used historically by slave traders, segregationists, and white supremacists to dehumanize Black Americans and justify racial terror, including lynchings; and

WHEREAS, President Donald Trump’s decision to amplify this imagery is profoundly offensive, racist, and incompatible with the dignity of the office of the President of the United States; and

WHEREAS, President Donald Trump’s post was not merely “offensive” or “in poor taste,” but a direct act of racial dehumanization that perpetuates a violent and hateful history; and

WHEREAS, President Donald Trump’s post is not a single isolated incident, but part of a long and documented pattern of promoting racist and dehumanizing rhetoric and conspiracy theories targeting Black Americans and other communities of color, including the false “birther” conspiracy theory about President Barack Obama, the first Black American to be elected to the office of President of the United States; and

WHEREAS, Racist imagery and rhetoric, especially when promoted by those in positions of power, fuels hate, emboldens extremists, and increases threats and violence against communities already targeted by discrimination; and

WHEREAS, California is home to one of the most diverse populations in the nation, and the State of California has a moral obligation to reject racism, condemn white supremacist messaging, and stand in solidarity with Black communities and all people targeted by hate; and

WHEREAS, Silence in the face of racism is not neutrality, it is complicity; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, That the Senate condemns President Donald J. Trump’s racist post depicting former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as dancing apes, and rejects the normalization of racist imagery, slurs, and conspiracy theories in American public life; and be it further

Resolved, That the Senate affirms that racism is not a “meme,” not a joke, and not protected from accountability by being repackaged as internet culture; and be it further

Resolved, That the Senate declares that during Black History Month, and every month, California will not tolerate racist dehumanization from the highest office in the nation, and will continue to stand with Black communities against hate and white supremacist ideology; and be it further

Resolved, That the Senate calls on President Donald Trump to issue a public apology to former President Barack Obama, former First Lady Michelle Obama, and to Black Americans nationwide for promoting racist imagery and dehumanizing tropes; and be it further

Resolved, That the Senate calls on all elected officials regardless of party affiliation to join in condemning this racist act and to reject the use of dehumanizing imagery against Black Americans; and be it further

Resolved, That the Senate reaffirms the achievements and contributions of Black Americans to the State of California and our nation; and be it further

Resolved, That the Senate recommits itself to advancing policies that confront systemic racism, protect civil rights, and ensure all Californians can live free from discrimination and hate; and be it further

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.