The New York City Council voted on Thursday to pass legislation that establishes a task force aimed at studying the impact of slavery, one step closer to a reparations program for black residents.
The legislation includes two bills sponsored by Council members Crystal Hudson and Farah Louis. According to Fox News, the bills will have New York City taxpayers fund a “Truth, Healing and Reconciliation Commission” and a reparations task force.
“Today, the New York City Council voted to pass legislation establishing municipal efforts to acknowledge and address the legacy and impact of slavery and racial injustices in New York City,” the council said in a press release. “The package of legislation would establish a Truth, Healing and Reconciliation process on slavery within New York City (which had one of the highest rates of slave ownership in the country in the 1700s), a reparations study, informational signs at the City’s first slave market, and a task force to consider the creation of a ‘freedom trail’ commemorating abolitionist movement and Underground Railroad sites.”
The press release further explained that the commission will work to “establish facts about slavery in New York City and its ongoing legacies, protect and acknowledge affected persons and communities, and recommend changes for government and institutions to prevent the perpetuation and recurrence of injustices from the legacy of slavery.”
Hudson, one of the bill sponsors, said the passing of this legislation is a step in her “Black Agenda for New York City.” She claimed that she hopes the legislation will better identify “racist” and “anti-black” policies at the foundation of New York City’s institutions.
“The passage of these bills represents a significant step for New York City. The harm slavery caused black Americans continues to be felt today. Our nation’s inability to properly redress such a historic wrong allows this deep injustice to continue to manifest itself in distinct, tangible ways — be it the prison-industrial complex, predatory lending, redlining, or inequality in our school systems,” Hudson said, according to Fox News.
