New York City is one step closer to conducting its own study into the effects of slavery and possible reparations after the city council passed legislation on Thursday.
In recent years, various cities and states have approved task forces to examine the history of slavery in their jurisdiction in the past and potentially recommend reparations for descendants of slaves. The series of bills are designed to “acknowledge and address the legacy and impact of slavery and racial injustices in New York City” according to the city council.
Democratic City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams said in a statement Thursday that “it’s important that our city recognizes and takes steps to redress” past slavery and racism.
“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,” Adams said.
The Truth, Healing, and Reconciliation process, which would be established by the legislation, would recommend changes to the city government to “prevent the perpetuation and recurrence of injustices from the legacy of slavery.” Reparations would also be considered, dependent on the study’s findings, if signed into law by Mayor Eric Adams.
Slavery was outlawed in New York in 1827 and outlawed federally in 1865 with the adoption of the 13th Amendment. Polls have shown the majority of adults are against reparations for slave descendants.
The mayor’s office has suggested it would approve of the legislation, calling it “another crucial step towards addressing systemic inequities, fostering reconciliation, and creating a more just and equitable future for all New Yorkers,” according to the Associated Press.
The state of New York has approved its own reparations task force to look into the effects of slavery and racism in the state while discussing the possibility of giving reparations to descendants of enslaved people. Legislation authorizing that task force was signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) in December 2023.
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“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 in a press conference at the time.
California approved a reparations task force in 2020, with the group releasing its findings in 2023. A bill seeking to create a state reparations agency failed in the California state legislature last month.