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Jonathan Beckett

Ceo | burgess.

Industry Yachts

Location London

Featured In CSQ Q2 2019, Endless Summer

Jonathan Beckett: The CEO of Burgess on the Current State of the Yachting Industry

Jonathan Beckett joined Burgess at the age of 23, working in Monaco with the company’s founder Nigel Burgess from 1981 to 1983, before moving to the UK to launch the London operation. Under Beckett’s guidance, the company has developed from a “one-man band” into an all-service company, with specialist divisions in all aspects of the superyacht industry and multiple offices around the globe. Jonathan has served on the Board of the Mediterranean Yacht Brokers Association (MYBA), was President of MYBA from 2000 to 2002, and has also chaired the MYBA Sales Committee. He is a founding member and former President of the Large Yacht Brokers’ Association (LYBRA). In 2016 he received the Leadership Award from the International Superyacht Society. Burgess remains one of the most successful and popular yacht brokerage and charter companies in the world, having represented and orchestrated the sale of many of the world’s most famous yachts, including Azzam, Dilbar, Dubai, Jubilee, Trump Princess, Maltese Falcon, and Cloud 9.

By CSQ Staff / April 22, 2020

What are your biggest business concerns surrounding COVID-19?

The uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 is one of the major factors challenging us right now. The uncertainty makes any sort of planning extremely difficult—if not impossible. In late March, in the UK, advice and laws were changing daily, if not hourly. Thankfully that has slowed somewhat, and we have all got into the rhythm of social distancing, and as a business, working from home. The biggest concern for us, is, of course, the health and well-being of our staff and their families and of our clients. Following this is our concern of “how long will this last?”

Lady E, one of the many yachts in the Burgess portfolio.

What is your current business strategy for dealing with the situation?  

We are closely following government guidelines across all of our offices, and we have successfully implemented our remote working plan across all 14 of our locations. I was impressed how quickly and able we were to make this happen. I was impressed myself! We continue to be agile and ready to adapt to change. Being a truly global business with a great deal of travel involved—we are well versed at working remotely and responding to clients’ and business requests—no matter how diverse. The global travel industry has had to deal with many significant challenges before and COVID-19 is yet another obstacle to overcome but we are ready, willing, and able to support our clients as soon as they need our expertise.

The global travel industry has had to deal with many significant challenges before and COVID-19 is yet another obstacle to overcome but we are ready, willing, and able to support our clients as soon as they need our expertise.

In the past few weeks we have had a couple of yacht sales, and charters go through, but this is the minority. The industry has mostly come to a grinding halt. Some shipyards in Northern Europe remain open for the time being, but we are spending our time talking to our clients and making sure we are in great shape for when travel restrictions are lifted. We are here to support crew, owners, and clients through this unprecedented time. We have introduced a new COVID-19 cancellation policy for any new charter bookings taken now—meaning that charterers and/or owners can cancel their fully booked and paid for charter without penalty in the need to cancel due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

How do you think things will look in your industry a year from now? 

We must all recognize that this situation will change our industry forever. However, our industry is here to stay. All of these yachts exist, and they need to be managed, insured, crewed, chartered, bought, sold, and refitted. It is up to the industry to ensure that change is for the better. We are already doing business in different ways, as the whole company is working remotely. We are constantly finding opportunities to support our clients with enhanced services such as our virtual yacht experiences. We are a strong believer that working hard in times of adversity will stand us in good stead. It is those brands that stand up to be counted that will be the ones that survive and ultimately thrive. We may not have the immediate answers to the challenges that we face but we will work with our clients, colleagues, and contacts to find the right solution, now and for the future.

I think that many business leaders are fully occupied at stabilizing their businesses to make sure that when we eventually come out of this pandemic we all still have businesses to go back to.  On top of that – I think there will be a new “norm” once COVID-19 passes.  The way we do business, the number of people we employ, the amount of office space we need, etc is all under review, and we will come put the other side of this crisis leaner, meaner, and hungrier than ever, but also well educated in how a large team can work efficiently together in a remote fashion.

Burgess CEO Jonathan Beckett.

What have you learned from other difficult times in the past? 

What we have learned over the years is just how important it is to have “fuel in the tank” when a crisis hits. This has not always been the case with Burgess. In the 1980s and 1990s, we were a small, fledgling company living hand to mouth in a cottage industry and we got ourselves into a tight spot on more than one occasion when business dried up and we had no cash reserves.

Today, we are a larger professionally run company. Our finance team has been very astute to ensure we have good cash reserves at all times, “money for a rainy day.” And that rainy day is today!

Also, the importance of diversification—both territorial, across the world—but also by discipline. All of these existing yachts still need to be managed, crewed and insured, and so these three divisions of Burgess are doing “ok” at the moment and provide us with good and reliable income.

Safe–and entertained–at Home: What business leaders are doing with their downtime

Morning routine? Up at 6:30am with my three little girls (ages 6, 4, and 3) for a family breakfast. The working day starts at 8:30am, and the morning is filled with Microsoft Teams phone calls with our strategic board, followed by heads of department.

Currently binging? During the daytime I have the TV in my home office and it will either be on BBC News or on Bloomberg, watching the markets. I like to keep on top of World affairs. In the evening, if time permits, we might watch a movie or a television series on Netflix.

Currently reading? Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons to my three little girls ages 6, 4 and 3.

What are you doing to spend quality time with those you’re sheltering with? Spending a lot of time together as a family is a real treat for me, as I travel at about 220 days a year when we are operating in normal business times. We are all active together swimming, walking, playing tennis, and having family movie nights.

What are you doing to stay healthy mentally and physically? A lot of swimming and dog walking.

Where are you dreaming of visiting once things are back to normal? To our own sailing boat, Agapi Mas . We spend wonderful summers cruising onboard her with family and friends.

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Superyacht broker

Founded in 1975 by Nigel Burgess, renowned sailor and worldwide single-handed ocean racer, he created a company with an obsessive eye for detail that put clients first every time. Today, Burgess is a leading authority in the sale and purchase, new construction, charter and operational management of the world’s finest yachts over 30 metres.

From their original office in London in 1975, Burgess now spans the globe, with branches catering to clients in 14 major locations. The company has been involved with some of the most significant yachts ever built and Chief Executive Jonathan Beckett has led Burgess to its position as the world’s number one full-service superyacht company. In recognition of this, Burgess became the first yacht brokerage firm ever to receive the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise in 2001.

“’Luxury’ is often a term carelessly thrown around – it covers a whole host of things! However, ‘luxury’, when used in conjunction with the superyacht industry, can conjure up quite negative connotations. It doesn’t accurately portray an industry that supports the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people, world over. The end result of a new build is a masterpiece – a beautiful piece of engineering which expertly blends art with science and industry – meaning ‘luxury’ is simply the icing on the cake. I have been fortunate enough to work at the coalface of this industry for over 40 years, and I have seen the changes that have been made and I know we can make the ones being called for in the future. The Superyacht Life Foundation is a great platform encouraging collaboration, innovation, and evolution – only as a team can we work towards our collective goals of a fun, challenging work environment, correcting any misconceptions and, most importantly, a sustainable future. At Burgess, we are fully committed to raising the bar and working hard with industry colleagues to help educate society on our niche but exceptional world.” – Jonathan Beckett, CEO of Burgess

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MYS 2022: Burgess on Catering to a New Generation

By Emily Dawkins

On the first day of the 2022 Monaco Yacht Show, we were delighted to welcome Burgess Managing Partner and Chief Executive, Jonathan Beckett to our interview studio for an exclusive insight into the past year at Burgess, and how the yacht brokerage firm is catering to a new, younger generation of superyacht owners.

The past year has been a huge success for leading yacht brokerage firm Burgess despite the effects of the pandemic. ‘The pandemic was a big surprise… but we planned for the worst’, commented Managing Partner and Chief Executive, Jonathan Beckett.  ‘Last year was our best ever year’ , as he revealed that the firm sold a staggering 49 yachts in 2021. 

This year at the MYS, Burgess is showcasing 19 exemplary vessels, including Heesen’s brand new 60m LUSINE, and Lurssen’s 90m PHOENIX 2. 

With the next generation of superyacht owners getting increasingly younger, the Chief Executive discussed how the firm is adapting: ‘ Today the owners are getting younger and younger…and we’ve had to adapt to that quickly.’ Behind the doors of Burgess, a complete ‘millennium campaign’ is underway, with the marketing team growing in regard to younger employees and an increased focus on social media. It's safe to say that Burgess is doing everything it can to cater to the next generation. 

So what does the future hold for Burgess? ‘The horizon for us is very bright’ , commented the Chief Executive, ‘ Our clients are getting younger, are staff are actually getting younger and that's really the future for us: the careful handing down of the company.’

‘This year is going to be a fantastic year for us.’  And we for one certainly can’t wait to see what will come next from Burgess.

"Our clients are getting younger, are staff are actually getting younger and that's really the future for us: the careful handing down of the company.’" Jonathan Beckett, Managing Partner and Chief Executive, Burgess

"Our clients are getting younger, are staff are actually getting younger and that's really the future for us: the careful handing down of the company.’"

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Burgess secures over $2.5b in sales

Burgess has recorded over $2.5b in sales for 2022 and a charter increase of 50% from pre-pandemic levels. Its Technical Services team is also 20% up on last year’s figures.

The British owned superyacht agency said it sold the 72m (236ft) Delta Marine Albatross (pictured) a few days after the Monaco Yacht Show. Having only received the vessel the day before the event, it was one of the company’s “ fastest deals on record.” The sales team sold another three yachts in the same week, one of which was a confidential deal of more than €100m.

“We have once again had a tremendous year across all departments,” said company CEO, Jonathan Beckett. “I am delighted with the team’s unstoppable efforts.”

Beckett added that the company owes its sales record to the guidance from the senior members of the brokerage team.

The firm also reported over 860 charter bookings this year. Ben Harwood, head of Charter, said the numbers were due to pent-up demand left over from the pandemic.

“ Everyone just wants to get away and travel,” he said. “ Our US clients were ready to get back to the Mediterranean after many chose to charter closer to home in the Bahamas or the Caribbean for the last couple of years.”

The Burgess fleet was fully booked during the Med’s peak season from June to August. Clients had to book earlier to get their desired yachts – a trend that is continuing into 2023 and 2024. Burgess signed another 23 yachts to its fleet in 2022 to meet this rise in demand.

This year also saw the introduction of Burgess’ New Build Sales team, consisting of senior-level sales brokers and naval architects. This has led to the company’s Technical Services team reporting an increase of 20% and six yachts under construction.

Sean Bianchi, head of New Construction said: “Across the industry, the new build sector continues at a buoyant pace, shipyards continue to report very few build slots available for the next few years. Burgess Technical Services enjoyed another productive and busy year despite the ongoing global issues.”

© Specialist Insight, 2024. All rights reserved. Website design and development by e-Motive Media Limited .

Interview: Jonathan Beckett, Burgess Yachts

Look around at the world’s leading yacht brokers and you would be hard pressed to find one with as colourful and interesting a story as Jonathan Beckett.

Burgess’s CEO and charismatic frontman has weathered many a storm over the last quarter of a century, but his vision and business acumen have helped to transform the company from a passionate but tiny concern of three staff into a global phenomenon in superyacht sales and construction, with a team of 140 working out of 11 offices around the world.

In person, Jonathan - Joff to his friends - is a jocular and gregarious character, a refreshing breath of fresh air in an industry where many play their cards close to their chest. A keen sailor, he grew up on the Norfolk Broads and always imagined he would forge a career building wooden boats after getting his BA in sociology at Durham University. ‘I was never academic but I’m a very hard worker. I had a gap year between school and university and went sailing in the Caribbean on a 55ft Sparkman & Stephens ketch,’ he recalls as he addresses the recent YPY conference in Monaco.

‘When I got back, I wrote 120 letters by hand to all the different companies…yacht brokers, rope manufacturers, sail makers and insurance brokers. I had a letter back from Nigel Burgess, who said: ‘I work on my own, I’m not looking for anybody but do come and see me for a chat.’ And I received another from David Halsey at Halsey Marine, who also asked me to come in for a chat.  He offered me a job as a yacht broker in Athens on commission only.’

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Burgess reports record superyacht sales

• January 12, 2022

The global brokerage house has announced a record-breaking year for sales of pre-owned superyachts.

Arete was among Burgess sales late last year

Burgess has reported a record year for pre-owned superyacht sales, with sales in 2021 topping €2 billion (about US$2.27 billion) according to the last-known asking prices, representing a 27 per cent increase on the company’s previous annual high.

Of the transactions, over half were yachts over 50m in length. In addition, Burgess’ new-build division enjoyed its best-ever results, up 39 per cent on 2020.

Burgess’ brokerage team including members of the Asia division

Jonathan Beckett, CEO of Burgess, said: “In my 41 years at Burgess, I have never experienced a year quite like the one we have just seen.”

Burgess also said charter activity was high, with 2021 equalling its previous-best year in 2019. The British-owned company reported a two per cent increase in the number of yachts available for charter, compared to an average increase of five per cent in previous years.

Titania was Burgess’ best-performing charter yacht

Richard Lambert, Burgess’ Head of Sales, said: “More owners are deciding to keep their yachts private this year. This could be for a number of reasons, but Covid is arguably the biggest driving factor, with owners reserving their yachts for exclusive use for the family.” 

Burgess, which has over 200 full-time staff in 15 offices around the world, is confident of another bumper year for charter in 2022, with bookings already up by 25 per cent for the summer.

Victorious is a new addition to the Burgess charter fleet

“Fasten your seatbelts, as we’re in for another exciting 12 months,” Beckett said. “There will be some bumps in the road, but if we work hard and concentrate, we all stand a great chance of success.”

In 2021, Burgess Asia passed 20 transactions in the region since it was established in 2015. www.burgessyachts.com

Burgess milestone in Asia Burgess’ recent sale of the 52m Amels Lind marked the 20th transaction by the brokerage house’s Asia team since it was formed in 2015.

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Winch Design and Burgess unveil 72m superyacht concept Project Ace

British studio Winch Design has collaborated with brokerage firm Burgess on a yacht concept known as Project Ace. Billed as "the perfect superyacht", the 72-metre is the culmination of feedback from yacht owners, crew, and shipyards from across northern Europe, Italy and Turkey. The result is a semi-custom platform with charter and resale appeal and several desirable leisure features, including a private owner's deck, an office that can convert into a nail bar and a 100-square-metre beach club and spa.

BOAT takes a closer look...

What is the perfect size for a superyacht?

72 metres, 1700gt, five decks.

"At a smaller size there are a large number of series or semi-custom build options available, which are dominating the market in that sector. At larger sizes, we find that our clients are often wanting to get more engaged in the development of the whole concept for the project so for this approach this really sat in a nice, sweet spot.

For example, if a client wants a traditional or plumb bow, or the elevator to also serve the lower deck cabins and beach club, this has already been considered and can be included, together with any other client-specific requests and customisation requirements." (Crispin Baynes, partner and sales broker at Burgess).

"72 metres is the perfect size to accommodate the features and square metres requested by the majority of clients. It’s also a manageable tonnage when it comes to regulatory complexity, whereby shipyards can offer a very competitive build time and a great level of customisation at an attractive price – all factors which are important in today’s market." (Jim Dixon, managing partner and creative director at Winch Design).

How has Winch Design's "signature yachts" influenced Project Ace's look?

"Both the exterior and interior design of Winch yachts have always been characterised by a 'signature', making them unique and instantly recognisable. Project Ace is no different. The design is pure, balanced, beautifully proportioned, and carries a 'blade' signature along her long aft superstructure lines, which enables an individualised exterior with different material and colour options. We hope this will appeal to not one, but a succession of multiple owners." (Jim Dixon, managing partner and creative director at Winch Design).

How many shipyards did you go to with this concept? How did their feedback inform the design?

"We discussed the design with a number of shipyards ranging from northern European, Italian and Turkish yards. In general, the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Firstly, the design and technical platform proposed are feasible and in-line with their own design philosophies and secondly, the project aligns well with the requests and discussions that they are having with their own clients at the moment.

A couple of shipyards felt that a slightly larger version of the same design may suit their client base and Winch Design have been working on that. Watch this space." (Ed Beckett, senior partner and naval architect at Burgess)

What was the level of crew input given? How did their feedback inform the design?

"[Project Ace] was developed hand in glove with the Burgess Management team which is filled with ex-yacht crew, from captains and deck officers to engineers and interior crew. We drove the mantra hard that a yacht with a good operational setup will deliver a better experience for the guests on board. 

Things which can easily be overlooked in favour of few additional square metres of guest interior have been driven into this project – appropriate crew numbers, flow of crew and provisions around the yacht, storage - and not just one large deck store but good functional storage distributed around the yacht. This is an absolutely fundamental part of creating a successful yacht." (Lucy Medd, partner head of crew services at Burgess).

Who else did you speak to?

"We sent the design to a number of our trusted clients who have experience chartering, owning and building their own yachts, or multiple yachts, with careful commercial considerations in their own designs. 

Tips we garnered, that you only know from active yachting, ranged from window heights for seated views, to smart floor lighting at night, design-led accessibility options, guest pantries, hidden kids’ activity tables, a ship’s office that can convert to an occasional nail bar, flower fridges, beer taps, sauna and cold plunges, and bigger galleys for chef’s table or ‘kitchen party’ options. Which we baked back into the current go-to-market design package for Project Ace." (Crispin Baynes, partner and sales broker at Burgess).

How have you maximised Project Ace’s charter appeal?

"The layout of Project Ace places attention on the principal guest by offering a forward-facing master suite with 180 degree, floor-to-ceiling panoramic views. The "best in class" 100-square-metre waterside beach club and spa is also at the heart of any great charter experience, as is the 5.2-metre deck pool above. In fact, the entire aft area of the yacht is dedicated to relaxation, socialising and casual wellbeing. Another important feature is the central elevator which connects to main deck to the sundeck, allowing guests of all ages to connect easily from their cabins." (Jim Dixon, managing partner and creative director at Winch Design).

"Project Ace is also in a 'sweet spot', able to achieve a high volume of charters whilst also securing a very attractive charter rate versus annual running cost." (Ben Harwood, senior partner and head of charter at Burgess).

How have you maximised Project Ace’s resale value?

"The project has a fantastic design edge without being radical or too polarising in opinion and the features and functionality are top drawer for a project of this size. We have taken care to ensure that Project Ace has global appeal and that the design and layout isn’t skewed particularly towards one market.

Project Ace is not just a design that looks good – it comes with a huge amount of unique industry IP so it will work well too. This yacht is one that will be thoroughly enjoyed by the guests and the crew alike." (Ed Beckett, senior partner and naval architect at Burgess) 

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PHOENIX 2 sold

Published 16 September 2024

We are delighted to announce the sale of the 90.1m (295.5ft) PHOENIX 2.

The brain child of two of the biggest names in the industry - Lurssen and Winch - PHOENIX 2 accommodates 14 guests across seven staterooms.

Incredibly glamorous, designers took inspiration from New York and its skyline, from the Empire State skyscrapers on the bar stools in the sky lounge bar, lit by uplighters reminiscent of the torch held by the Statue of Liberty, to the firebird figurehead that looks as if it may have flown in from the Chrysler Building.

She sold with a last asking price of EUR 124,950,000, cementing Burgess' place as market leaders selling yachts of this size.

If you're thinking of selling or you would like a valuation you can trust in today's market, please get in touch. 

Here are five reasons why you should choose Burgess to sell your yacht.

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Column: They say California stole their ancestors’ land. But do they qualify for reparations?

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Jonathan and Matthew Burgess had a story — well, a truth — to tell, and they wanted to tell me at Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park.

It seemed appropriate.

Like many a Sacramentan, the twin brothers had walked through the preserved stone buildings, dirt paths and old trees as schoolchildren. It’s where they learned about John Sutter, the pioneer who founded what would become California’s capital city and who controlled land 45 miles away in Coloma, where an employee named James W. Marshall discovered gold in the American River, starting the Gold Rush.

Or so the whitewashed story goes.

The Burgess brothers insist the truth — based on old records, photos and stories passed down from generation to generation — is a lot more complicated.

They say that it wasn’t just Sutter who had land in Coloma. Free Black people did, too, including their formerly enslaved ancestors, before it was unfairly seized by the state. For that, the brothers say their family is owed reparations.

“If there were descendants of Sutter right now, talking about this ground that we’re on and how it was taken from them, would we be having this conversation?” Jonathan fumed as Matthew, digging his heels into the dirt at Sutter’s Fort, nodded in agreement. “Or would their land already have been given back to them?”

I understand the brothers’ frustration.

Back in September, Jonathan was one of the first people to turn his story into official testimony before California’s Reparations Task Force, which is investigating and recommending remedies for the history of injustice against Black people.

Those were heady times. Gov. Gavin Newsom had just signed a bill to return a swath of oceanfront property in Manhattan Beach to a Black family that lost it through another racist act of eminent domain. Anything seemed possible.

Since then, though, the brothers have gotten bogged down in the bureaucratic realities of reparations, as the governor has moved on and the task force has taken the lead on the issue. And now the Burgess brothers’ case has been pulled into the most important policy question that the task force has tackled to date — the question of eligibility.

If California does decide to pay reparations, who should get it? All Black people? Or only Black people who can trace their lineage to chattel slavery?

A lot is riding on the answer. That’s probably why, even after two hours of heated debate, the task force couldn’t come to an agreement last month. They postponed a vote until their next meeting later this month.

Meanwhile, Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer (D-Los Angeles) has introduced a bill that would give the task force, of which he is a member, another year to do more research and finish its work.

“We need to not just hear from the American descendants of slavery,” he told me. “We need to hear from every African American if we can.”

The Burgess brothers are upset. And impatient. It’s obvious, they say, that lineage should determine who is eligible for reparations.

“I don’t know why it’s such a big question. We can’t expect California to solve the problem of racism,” Jonathan said. “That’s always existed. It will continue to exist. There’s nothing we can do about that. But what we can do is we can make some fundamental repairs to the foundational people that built this country, built this state and had everything taken away.”

I wish I was as convinced.

As far as I know, some of my ancestors were enslaved. That’s what my oldest relatives recall being told by their oldest relatives anyway.

Most of my family, from what I’ve heard, hails from Mississippi and Alabama. Which towns and cities? Other than Sardis, Miss., I have no clue. Names and exact relations also have been largely lost to history.

This sort of guesswork is pretty common for Black Americans. Even with genealogy kits and the internet, inaccurate and nonexistent public and private records complicate efforts to track our lineage. I found this out while trying to trace my great grandmother’s relatives in New Orleans. I came away with nothing.

The Burgess brothers are different, though. They can recount, with almost encyclopedic detail, the history of their family going back almost 200 years.

“We came from a family that could read and write. That was a privilege,” Matthew told me. “And that was something that allowed us to put the pieces together because of the writings that they left behind for us, in addition to the oral narratives that our mother had provided.”

They were taught “even the history that wasn’t taught in school,” Jonathan added.

Most lessons started with trips to Coloma, a small town in El Dorado County not far from Placerville, where a good percentage of residents still want a noose to be the city’s symbol and “hangtown” to be its nickname.

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The brothers say their great-great grandfather, Rufus Burgess, was brought to Coloma in the mid-1800s as a slave. Eventually, he was able to save enough money to buy his freedom and send for his son, Rufus M. Burgess, and purchase a home.

Deeds and other records indicate the family owned several properties there, including an old church and a blacksmith shop.

The brothers say additional acres that belonged to their ancestors sit across the American River from where Sutter ordered Marshall to build a sawmill before finding gold.

Today, most of that land — indeed most of Coloma — is part of Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park, a tourist-ready collection of Gold Rush-era businesses, churches and cemeteries, surrounded by a handful of private residences.

To build the park, the state took the land by eminent domain. Rufus M. Burgess Jr., the brothers’ grandfather, was among the last of his line to live in Coloma. The rest of the family had little choice but to relocate to Sacramento, where Jonathan is now a firefighter and Matthew is a cop.

Of course, not everyone believes the brothers or their evidence. Many point to Nancy and Peter Gooch as their main reason for skepticism.

As historians have long told it, a white man named William Gooch brought the Black couple to Coloma as slaves in the mid-1800s. Their son, Andrew Monroe, eventually joined them, and according to their descendants , they collectively owned hundreds of acres of land before the state took it all by eminent domain to build Marshall Gold Discovery park.

The Burgess brothers don’t doubt that Nancy and Peter lived in Coloma. They just believe that the Burgess family and the Gooch family were mostly the same people.

“Our paperwork says Nancy Gooch was our great-great-grandmother. But we don’t call her Nancy. Her name’s Annie,” Jonathan explained. They were “ridding themselves of their slave names.”

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Sorting out the truth from the well-worn stories of history will be a tough task. That’s one reason the brothers are working with Kavon Ward, the Los Angeles activist who helped persuade Newsom and the California Legislature to return that oceanfront property in Manhattan Beach to the Bruce family.

But this case, with its competing and overlapping claims to a specific lineage of formerly enslaved people in Coloma, illustrates why the question of eligibility for reparations can be so hard to answer.

“Anybody can say that they’re descendants of slaves. But how do you prove that? How do you validate that?” Jones-Sawyer asked. “How do we make sure that those who are most aggrieved, which are descendants of slaves, that they get the proportional amount of money they should get for that grievance?”

I’m all for reparations, but I fear there will be unintended costs.

There’s no doubt that using lineage as a prerequisite for distributing cash or land would be the safest, most legally viable option for California. Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of UC Berkeley’s School of Law, told the task force as much during a recent meeting.

Secretary of State Shirley Weber, who authored the bill that created the task force, also has made it known that this is her preference. “If we decide to solve all of the problems around the world, we will probably get 50 cents each,” she said. “This is about ... what the U.S. owes those individuals who built this country.”

But while reparations done this way will certainly make some Black families whole, the whole of the Black community — and its only-in-California multicultural kumbaya-ness — will almost certainly be torn apart. At least for a time.

On one side, there will be people who can prove they are the descendants of slaves. On the other side, will be people who cannot. Those who, for example, know very little about their families, or can’t afford a genealogy test for proof or are wary of government building a database of DNA. I can already imagine the conspiracy theories.

Then there will be the Black immigrants and the biracial Californians whose ancestors were slaves, but who have always identified as white. I’m really not looking forward to “Black enough” litmus tests.

And yet, expanding eligibility to cover all Black people in California carries a cost, too — namely a legal one. Reparations distributed based on race likely wouldn’t stand up to a court challenge, especially given the majority conservative U.S. Supreme Court.

Still, it’s hard to ignore what several task force members have said about the importance of addressing the harm being done to all Black people, regardless of their ancestry.

Discriminatory housing practices that have left a disproportionate number of Black people penniless and homeless. A biased criminal justice system that has led to over-incarceration and too many fatal shootings by police. And health inequities that have caused far too many deaths from COVID-19.

“This is what reparations is really about,” insisted Jones-Sawyer, whose uncle was part of the Little Rock Nine. “That we finally come to grips with systemic racism, the biggest crime that this country has ever done.”

Given all the back and forth, the Burgess brothers feel like they are fighting their own fight. So they keep telling their story — their truth — most recently in a children’s book, “ Gold Rush: Burgess Descendants .”

They don’t want to wait years for the task force to decide if they are eligible for reparations and, if so, under what conditions. They want Newsom to return their land in Coloma immediately and to write them a check out of the state’s bulging budget.

“It was our ancestors that were here as foundational people who paved the way, and those people were not able to pass on generational wealth to their descendants,” Jonathan said. “That lineage thing is very important. It’s powerful.”

More to Read

California Democrats talked a big game on reparations. They’re off to slow start

Sept. 1, 2024

Los Angeles unveils reparations report on Black residents’ experiences since 1925

Aug. 30, 2024

Editorial: 85 years after Nazis stole a Jewish family’s Pissarro painting, California may help return it

Aug. 10, 2024

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Erika D. Smith is a former columnist for the Los Angeles Times who wrote about the people, politics and quest for a more equitable California. She joined The Times in 2018 as an assistant editor, expanding coverage of the state’s homelessness and affordable housing crises. She previously worked at the Sacramento Bee as a columnist and editorial board member. Before the Bee, Smith wrote for the Indianapolis Star and Akron Beacon Journal. She is a graduate of Ohio University and a native of Cleveland.

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