New York City Council Passes Reparations Measures

The New York City Council passed two measures that will lead to the city becoming the largest in the U.S. to have a slavery reparations program.

Two bills sponsored by Councilmembers Crystal Hudson and Farah Louis call for the creation of a Truth, Healing and Reconciliation Commission and a reparations task force. The bills are to take effect immediately.

NYC Council Speaker Adrienne Adams said in a statement, “The legacy of slavery and systemic racism has impacted all facets of our society today, and it’s important that our city recognizes and takes steps to redress these longstanding harms.”

“By creating new processes to fully examine the present-day impacts of injustices inflicted on Black New Yorkers and communities, we are advancing necessary efforts to consider potential remedies that can lead to healing and reconciliation,” she stated, adding that the city is “continuing towards the equity and justice that our communities deserve. I thank Council Members Hudson, Williams, and Louis for their leadership on this legislation, and my Council colleagues for their support.”

Hudson declared that the intention behind the bill is to support her “Black Agenda for New York City.” She said that it her her “hope that as the nation’s largest city––with the biggest municipal budget––our truth, healing, and reconciliation process will work; it will identify racist, anti-Black policies at the foundation of our city’s institutions, and it will yield material solutions to address these foundational cracks.”

Louis explained that her bill aims to support black women as they “continue to be disadvantaged in both public and private sectors, facing systemic inequities that hinder their progress and well-being. Addressing these compounded injustices is essential to forming a more just municipality and society.”

One councilmember who voted against the bill, David Carr (R), told the New York Post that there is “no one” currently living in New York City who “had anything to do with the evils of slavery and the vast majority of New Yorkers are descendants of immigrants who came after it was abolished.”

Robert Holden, a Democrat, said the legislation will result in an “endless parade of historical grievances.”

Before the bills passed, Minority Leader Joseph Borelli (R) told The Post, “I’ll move before I’ll pay.”