Opinion: New York’s reparations commission is a beacon of hope for all races

In a transformative move towards healing and unity, New York state’s Reparations Commission emerges as a beacon of hope for all its residents – Black, brown, and white. Across races, backgrounds, and generations, most New Yorkers want to make this a state where all people can live with dignity, freedom and equality. Yet for centuries, a handful of people in power have used anti-Black racism to dehumanize people, divide working people and to consolidate rule for a wealthy, white few.  The Reparations Commission will investigate the long history of slavery and anti-Black practices in New York, from the slave markets on Wall Street to the proliferation of discriminatory policies that have fueled mass incarceration and economic disparity.  This chapter was not just a footnote in history; it was central to the development of New York and has perpetuated discrimination and systemic racism that persist to this day. In Buffalo, we see clearly how deeply anti-Black racism is still embedded in the fabric of our state. Just two years ago, a young white man killed 10 Black people at a supermarket here, influenced by white nationalist ideologies and movements backed by a MAGA faction in office and in the media.  This...