(Headline USA) New York City became the latest Democratic stronghold to embrace reparations after passing legislation this week to conduct a study on possible reparations measures.
The bill proposes a Truth, Healing, and Reconciliation task force to “acknowledge and address the legacy and impact of slavery and racial injustices in New York City.”
The task force would then send recommendations to the city government on how to “prevent the perpetuation and recurrence of injustices from the legacy of slavery,” with one potential recommendation being cash reparations.
Council Member Farah Louis, a sponsor of the bill, called it a “monumental step” to pay back the “injustices that have plagued our society” for years.
“This is a matter of morality and justice, equality and equity,” Louis said, according to the New York Post.
One of the councilmen who voted against the bill, David Carr, blasted the proposed task force as an insult to New York City residents.
“No one currently living in our city 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,” he said.
The bill now goes to embattled Mayor Eric Adams’s desk for approval.
Adams’s office suggested the Democrat will sign the bill, calling it “another crucial step towards addressing systemic inequities, fostering reconciliation, and creating a more just and equitable future for all New Yorkers.”
The Truth, Healing, and Reconciliation task force would be in addition to the state of New York’s reparations task force, which was created by legislation signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul in December 2023.
“I challenge all New Yorkers to be the patriots and rebuke, and not excuse, our role in benefiting from the institution of slavery,” Hochul said at the time.
Slavery was outlawed in New York in 1827.
California Democrats have also embraced the idea of reparations, creating a task force in 2020 to develop specific policy recommendations for state lawmakers. The state government, however, quickly sidelined the task force after it proposed cash payments of up to $1.2 million for every black person in the state.
