$5 million allocated for New York State commission studying reparations

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Only New York and California have state commissions established to look at the impacts of slavery.

Gov. Kathy Hochul appointed a nine members to the New York State Reparations Commission:

• Jennifer Jones Austin, CEO of the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies;
• Timothy R. Hogues, commissioner for the Department of Civil Service and president of the Civil Service Commission;
• Linda Brown-Robinson, immediate past president of the Syracuse Onondaga NAACP;
• Darrick Hamilton, Ph.D., Henry Cohen Professor of Economics and Urban Policy at The New School;
• Linda Tarrant-Reid, author, historian, freelance journalist, photographer, and community activist;
• Seanelle Hawkins, president and CEO of the Urban League of Rochester;
• Dr. Ron Daniels, founder and president of the Institute of the Black World 21st Century;
• Lurie Daniel Favors, Esq., executive director of the Center for Law and Social Justice at Medgar Evers College; and
• Rev. Dr. Deborah D. Jenkins, founding pastor of Faith @ Work Christian Church, Coop City.

The latest state budget earmarks $5 million for the panel to do the work which calls for looking at the lasting impact of slavery on people in the past and now in New York.

Those serving on the commission can only be reimbursed for “actual and necessary” expenses.

“We are tasked with coming up with recommendations to correct and to right some of these the harms and inequalities that have impacted us for so many years. We know that we’ve been impacted, but we really want to educate and and bring it to light and then make recommendations that really start to heal the wounds,” Hogues said.

The controversial topic of reparations is often thought to result in money, but it could result in monetary and/or policy changes.

The commission will hold meetings across the state to get input from residents.

They will then present recommendations to the state legislature and governor.