New York state unveils new reparations task force

In a bold move to confront the historical stains of slavery and institutional racism that have been baked into the very fabric of everyday life, New York is now set to become the third state behind California and Illinois to establish a statewide task force dedicated to determining how the how the state can go about paying reparations as a means to address the enduring legacy of racial injustice.

Late last month, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a bill that empowers this commission to study not only the history of slavery, which has been outlawed in New York since 1827, but also its long lasting impacts, studying how this level of racism has spilled over into different areas of life such as housing discrimination, environmental racism, biased policing, the war on drugs, income inequality, and the mass incarceration of Black New Yorkers statewide.

“In acknowledging New York's history, we confront the high cost of racial injustices,” said State Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages, who was a lead sponsor of the bill. “By Gov. Hochul signing into effect the Reparations & Remedies Commission, New York State will empower communities to actively participate in shaping the essential path forward toward unity and healing. Reparations lay the groundwork for a future where all New Yorkers can thrive and prosper.”

The legislation creates a commission of nine members “who are especially qualified to serve by virtue of their expertise, education, training, or lived experience,” that will examine slavery “and its lingering negative effects on people currently living in the State of New York,” according to the governor.

“In New York, we like to think we’re on the right side of this. Slavery was a product of the South, the Confederacy,” Hochul continued, “it is hard to embrace the fact that our state also flourished from that slavery. It’s not a beautiful story, but indeed it is the truth.”

Before the American Revolution, there were more enslaved Africans in New York City than in any other except Charleston, South Carolina. At the time, the population of enslaved Africans accounted for 20 percent of New York’s population, according to the governor’s office.

“We are continuing our efforts to right the wrongs of the past by acknowledging the painful legacy of slavery in New York,” Hochul said, “this commission acknowledges the horrific injustice of slavery and will be tasked with examining the legacy of slavery, subsequent discrimination against people of African descent, and the impact these forces continue to have in the present day.”

Justin Brown, a community activist of Uniondale who was a candidate in the 2021 Nassau County Clerk race, said he commends Hochul for her stance. “I think that when we have leaders and people that are advocating on behalf of a group of individuals who we have not had the representation and have been mainly advocating for themselves, it is always a great thing to see.”

Brown says this is a great first step and is hopeful that the commission will come back with a good plan, but also acknowledges that this task force is not going to erase racism entirely, adding more needs to be done down the road to ensure equity is achieved.

“It's an everlasting question, ‘how can we right those wrongs,’” Brown said, “even today we still face racism in everyday life, whether people realize it or not, there are everyday obstacles that have been put in place for us to ensure that we are not able to get ahead in certain areas. We have to look at those kinds of things and take steps to ensure we eliminate these obstacles for future generations.”

Back in May 2023, the task force examining reparations in California released its final report with more than 115 recommendations on how the state should compensate those harmed by slavery and its “historical atrocities.”

Recommendations in that report, comprising of more than 1,000 pages, includes a formal apology on behalf of the state of California to the descendants of enslaved people and provides recommendations for reforms surrounding health care, housing, education and criminal justice, among other areas, and outlined payments that could reach over $1.2 million per person.

The work of Illinois’s reparations commission is still ongoing, with public meetings scheduled for this year.

In the meantime, New York’s commission is to submit its findings and recommendations in one year after its first meeting date. There are currently no further details on whether New York will plan to distribute these reparations, if approved by the commission, in cash or another form of currency such as housing.

But not everyone is thrilled about the possibility of the state using public funds to repay the descendants of enslaved people. A 2021 Pew Research survey showed 77 percent of Black Americans support reparations, as opposed to only 18 percent of white Americans.

State Senate Republican Leader, Rob Ortt, said in a statement that he believes New York’s recommendations will be “unrealistic,” come at an “astronomical cost” to all New Yorkers, and further divide people in a country already ripped in half, calling the task force a “costly and divisive commission.”

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman did not respond to any request for comment by press time.