New York governor signs bill establishing slavery reparations commission

New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed a bill Tuesday that will set up a commission to explore providing reparations for slavery. The newly-formed New York State Community Commission on Reparations Remedies aims to acknowledge the injustice, cruelty, brutality, and inhumanity of slavery within the state. The commission will include individuals from various professional and personal backgrounds who will examine historical injustices and maltreatment of enslaved people. Although New York officially ended slavery by 1827, the state’s economy had already reaped substantial benefits from the practice. Governor Hochul emphasized the state’s responsibility in facing its entire history, including the painful chapter of slavery: [I]n New York, we like to think we’re on the right side of this. You know, slavery was a product of the South. It’s a confederacy… What is hard to embrace is the fact that our state also flourished from that slavery. It’s not a beautiful story, but indeed it is the truth. New York’s initiative follows in the footsteps of other US reparations efforts. In California, a reparations task force has already presented an extensive report with over 100 suggestions after two years of intensive study. These suggestions, now before state lawmakers, aim to support Black families...