New York, Which Abolished Slavery in 1827, Will Set Up a Commission To Consider Reparations

ALBANY — New York state will create a commission tasked with considering reparations to address the persistent, harmful effects of slavery in the state, under a bill signed into law by Governor Hochul on Tuesday. The bill signing comes at a time when many states and towns throughout the United States attempt to figure out how to best reckon with the country’s past. “In New York, we like to think we’re on the right side of this. Slavery was a product of the South, the Confederacy,” Ms. Hochul, a Democrat, said at the bill signing ceremony in New York City. “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.” Under the law, which was passed by state lawmakers in June, a study commission will examine the extent to which the federal and state government supported the institution of slavery. It will also look at how New York engaged in the transfer of enslaved Africans. New York fully abolished slavery by 1827, and much of New York City profited heavily off of the slave industry. The commission would be required to deliver a...