New York Governor Hochul will be signing a bill to create a commission tasked with looking into what reparations for slavery would look like in her state.
“If this committee can present a viable path forward to helping the descendants of New York slaves and addressing the harms and disparities that exist in education, that exist in healthcare, that exist in the environment, that will lift all of us up,” said Hochul, during a press conference.
The nine-member commission would study the state’s history of slavery, its lasting impacts on descendants of enslaved New Yorkers, and how the effects can be repaired. The announcement came six months after state lawmakers passed the bill.
I’m signing legislation to authorize a community commission on reparations in New York State. Watch live: https://t.co/9MiYl8yWWT
— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) December 19, 2023
The first enslaved Africans arrived on Manhattan Island in 1626, while the first slave auction was held in New Amsterdam in 1655. On March 31, 1817, the New York legislature set July 4, 1827, as the date of final emancipation, making New York the first state to enact a law for the absolute abolition of legal slavery.
However, little has been done to address the historical racism and existing contrasts in housing, education, state laws and policies, incarceration and economic insecurity.
“Today marks a momentous occasion in New York history. African Americans have been subjected to racial, economic, and institutional injustices that have plagued our communities for decades – a reality we must still acknowledge,” Speaker of the Assembly Carl E. Heastie said in a statement.” Although we have come a long way from the institution of slavery, its remnants can still be felt and require more insightful thought and change. With the creation of the New York State Community Commission on Reparations Remedies, we can create legislative solutions and political structures that can make lasting impact. Thank you to Governor Hochul, Senator Sanders, and Assemblywoman Solages for their hard work in making today a reality. Let’s continue to move New York forward.”
In 2020, California became the first state to form a reparations task force.
“Let’s be clear about what ‘reparations’ means,” Hochul said at the bill-signing ceremony at the New York Historical Society. “It doesn’t mean fixing the past — nobody can do this. But it does mean offering more than an apology.”
