Reparations in New York State 

We, the undersigned, demand the immediate passage of New York Senate Bill S2904A, which establishes the New York State Community Commission on Reparations Remedies and makes an appropriation of $250,000 to initially fund the commission. 

According to the bill, "the commission shall perform the following duties: 

(1) Examine the institution of slavery which existed within the state of New York and in the city of New York. The commission's examination shall include an examination of: 

(A) the capture and procurement of Africans; 

(B) the transport of Africans to the United States and the colonies that became the United States for the purpose of enslavement, including their treatment during transport; 

(C) the sale and acquisition of Africans as chattel property in interstate and intrastate commerce; and

(D) the treatment of enslaved Africans in the city of New York and the state of New York, including the deprivation of their freedom; exploitation of their labor, and destruction of their culture, language, reli- gion, and families. 

2) Examine the extent to which the federal and state governments of the 'United States supported the institution of slavery in constitutional and statutory provisions, including the extent to which such governments prevented, opposed, or restricted efforts of freed enslaved Africans to repatriate to their homeland. 

3) Examine federal and state laws that discriminated against freed enslaved Africans and their descendants during the period between the end of the Civil War and the present. 

4) Examine other forms of discrimination in the public and private sectors against freed enslaved Africans and their descendants during the period between the end of the Civil War and the present. 

5) Examine the lingering negative effects of the institution of slavery and the matters described in paragraphs (1), (2), (3), and (4) of this subdivision on living African-Americans and on society in the United States. 

6) Recommend appropriate ways to educate the American public of the commission's findings. 

7) Recommend appropriate remedies in consideration of the commission's findings on the matters described in paragraphs (1), (2), (3), and (4) of this subdivision. The commission shall determine the form of compen- sation, the amount of compensation and who should be eligible for such compensation. 

C) Report to the legislature. The commission shall submit a written report of its findings and recommendations to the temporary president of the senate, the speaker of the assembly, the minority leaders of the senate and the assembly and the governor not later than the date which is one year after the date of the first meeting of the commission held pursuant to subdivision c of section four of this act."

 

See the Senate version of the bill at https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2019/s2904/amendment/a

Illustration by Golden Cosmos