BUFFALO, N.Y. — Slavery was not limited to the South.
Tuesday night, the New York State Community Commission on Reparations Remedies began its public hearing series in Buffalo explaining the region and the state’s complicated history. Commissioner Tim Hogues said it’s an important part of the process as the state considers reparations.
“Part of our thing is we have to educate the public on this and then we can continue to have further dialogue,” Hogues said.
The commission has held three business meetings since late July, but the hearing in Buffalo was the first of a series focused on listening to the community. Commission Chair Seanelle Hawkins said the hearings will inform recommendations it will make to the state Legislature.
“We’re going to define what reparations should look like, if it’s in the form of money or if it’s in the form of policy change, but we haven’t defined that and this is the process that we’re going through, this year-long process of really understanding what it should look like,” Hawkins said.
Community members discussed how the impacts of slavery did not subside when the federal government abolished it. It was just two and a half years ago that Buffalo was devastated by a racially-motivated mass shooting.
Post-slavery policies like redlining have also contributed to disparities in health outcomes, social justice and education that remain today.
“How Black students in Buffalo are educated is a direct result of slavery. Segregated schools are a consequence of white violence and white hatred toward black children. Black students in New York have faced systemic obstacles due to decades of underfunding and segregation,” Aymnauel Radford, community member and New Yorkers for Reparations member, said.
“I’m hoping that this panel is going to have some teeth and I’m hoping that with all of us here that you guys have the ammunition to go back and say ‘hey, this is real, this is a need, this is necessary,’ ” said Alexander J. Wright, community member and African Heritage Co-op founder.
The next meeting is scheduled for next month in Queens.