Common Council dedicated $50,000 to fund a study into reparations. What could that look like?

ITHACA, N.Y. — The City of Ithaca could join the small number of local governments in the U.S. with a reparations program for Black people living in Ithaca. Common Council approved $50,000 in October to fund a study on reparations through an amendment to the city’s 2025 budget. The future study could be broad, delving into city “laws, policies, or institutional practices, or entrenched norms” that resulted in systemic racism and a “worse quality of life” for Black Ithacans, according to the reparations budget amendment’s description.  @media ( min-width: 300px ){.newspack_global_ad.scaip-1{min-height: 100px;}} Sign up for our free newsletter. But exactly what the local study will call for, and what a potential reparations program would look like, will be shaped by the recommendations of a yet-to-be-appointed city working group.  Ithaca’s move to explore reparations follows the state’s lead. New York established a commission in December 2023 to examine the legacy of slavery and how it has impacted people currently living in New York. The commission will compose a report with recommendations to address the inequities that stem from the dark history in which New York State and the federal government were involved. @media ( min-width: 300px ){.newspack_global_ad.scaip-2{min-height: 100px;}} Alderperson Kayla Matos,...