Reparations for descendants of slaves gained steam in various cities and states in 2023, leaving Democrats divided on how to move forward and possibly hurting President Joe Biden‘s reelection chances in 2024.
New York became the latest state to authorize a task force to examine whether descendants of slaves should receive reparations for past racism and injustices when Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) signed the bill creating the task force into law last week. Hochul called on all residents in her state to “be the patriots and rebuke, and not excuse, our role in benefiting from the institution of slavery.”
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“Today, this is our opportunity, New Yorkers,” she said at a press conference last week. “All of us can be the heroes and do the hard work of acknowledging the ugly truths of the past, and do our part to keep [Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s] dream alive and help bend the whole universe a little closer to justice by our actions here today.”
New York’s task force was authorized more than three years after Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) signed off on a similar committee in California. At the time, Newsom called the bill creating the task force part of the “important steps in the right direction to building a more inclusive and equitable future for all.”
Since the task force in California issued its final report to the legislature, Newsom has remained silent on the matter of cash payments to descendants of slaves. Ahead of the final report, Newsom, on Fox News’s Hannity, reiterated that reparations are about more than money and that he would look through all the recommendations from the committee, including the non-payment ones.
“I put out a statement saying reparations is more than just about money,” Newsom said. “That implies a deeper rationalization of what is achievable, what is reasonable, and what is right, and that is the balance that we will try to advance.”
Cities such as Evanston, Illinois, and San Francisco have taken steps to push reparations programs forward, with Evanston having distributed more than $1 million in payments as of earlier this year.
Even as strongly Democratic jurisdictions push forward with exploring, and in some cases implementing, reparations programs, polling in these areas is not as favorable for cash payments. A poll in September of California voters found that 59% do not support reparations payments for some black residents of the state, with nearly four in 10 saying they strongly oppose such action.
Nationally, longshot 2024 presidential candidate Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN) has said he would support reparations for black citizens who were descendants of slaves.
“I believe that reparations have to start with acknowledging the injustice that was done to black Americans,” Phillips said recently. “To me, the answer is to invest in every community that is underrepresented, disenfranchised, has been segregated, or has been subject to horrors.
“That means outstanding education for everybody, that means outstanding healthcare for everyone,” he added. “That means childcare and pre-K education, it also means housing for everybody. That’s to me the best way we can make reparations, is to do so by raising the foundations for everybody. That certainly includes black Americans because the injustice is horrifying.”
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Biden has not discussed reparations as part of his 2024 campaign, but the White House has previously said the president would be supportive of a study to examine proposals.
If the matter becomes a point of discussion ahead of the 2024 election, it could prove harmful for Democrats, as a vast majority of adults do not favor cash payments for descendants of slaves. A Pew Research poll conducted in 2022 found that 68% of adults oppose reparations for descendants of slaves, compared to only 30% who are in favor of such action.