Officials Looking At Offering Reparations In New York

A new study released by the New York City Comptroller Brad Lander has rekindled a debate in New York State that has been raging in other states and is sure to stir up a discussion again in the Empire State.

There has been an ongoing national discussion trying to determine if the United States of America, along with individual states and communities, owe the descendants of slavery in America reparations. Communities in the states of California, New Jersey, Illinois, and Vermont have either instituted a reparations policy or are studying it to determine if there are policies that would address some of the historical and systematic issues that have been born from chattel slavery.

NYC Comptroller Report Details Deep Racial Wealth Gap

The report issued by the New York City Comptroller brings forward severe disparities in the net household wealth, home values, retirement savings, investment income, and student debt between racial groups in New York.

From redlining to school segregation, from public health inequity to discriminatory policing and judicial practices, the city and state have both seen their share of de facto and de jure practices that helped white families build wealth while preventing Black families from doing the same.
-Brad Lander, New York City Comptroller

The report concludes that New York's history of institutional racial discrimination is a primary driver of the gaps between different ethnic groups and that the state should take steps to fix it.

New York State Legislature Wants To Create Commission on Reparations

Earlier this year, the Legislature passed a bill that would direct the state to do a deep dive into some of the points the report brings forward and determine what New York should do to rectify the concerns.

Reparations is about more than monetary compensation – it’s about atoning and a guarantee of nonrepetition... We need to change our political structures and laws to ensure Black New Yorkers are empowered. This is an important step in changing a long history of systemic racism and discrimination.
-Michaelle Solages, Member of New York State Assembly, 22nd District.

The Legislature debated and passed New York Senate Bill S1163A / Assembly Bill A7691, which would create the New York State Commission on Reparations to do just that - study what should be done, then take action on those recommendations.

The Assembly and Senate both had some spirited debate on this topic, which is sure to continue in communities across the state. Since both houses of the Legislature have passed the bill, it is now up to New York Governor Kathy Hochul to approve or veto it.