New York Reparations Commission To Meet as Its One-Year Clock Ticks

New York state’s reparations commission will meet next week, in a sign of the commission’s efforts to make progress as the one-year clock is ticking for it to come up with a report of recommendations that could help shape future New York policy on the issue. The meeting comes as reparations have been gaining traction and garnering national attention — most recently, the Democratic National Committee’s 92-page platform, in its section on pursuing racial equity, highlights the party’s focus on studying reparations on a nationwide scale.  “We have a long way to go to realize the full promise of America, but we are committed as a party to continuing the work to build a nation where all people are not only created equal, but treated equally throughout their lives,” the platform reads. “To determine how best to right historical wrongs, Democrats support Congress executing a study of reparations and the continuing impacts of slavery.” Meanwhile, states and localities have been forming and bolstering committees to study reparations. In June, Chicago launched a reparations task force with the goal of acknowledging the city’s “legacy of slavery and its aftermath,” and Illinois’ state reparations commission began a series of public hearings across...