Reparations Daily (ish) Vol. 100

Go Tell it On the Mountain: A Reparations Commission is Coming to New York

Dec 21, 2023

Reparationists —

On this 100th edition of Reparations Daily (ish), I have the immense pleasure of sharing historic news. On Tuesday, I had the opportunity to witness Governor Kathy Hochul sign into law a bill that would make New York the latest state to create a reparations commission.

Over the past few months, I’ve had the opportunity to work alongside a group of dedicated organizers, and earlier this week, we formally launched New Yorkers for Reparations, a statewide coalition focused on uniting New Yorkers for reparations and transformation. Please go to NY4Reparations.org to join the coalition or follow our progress.

I have to take a moment and pause and reflect as this is our 100th edition. Over the span of two years, I’ve had the privilege to sit down and speak with leaders who will go down in history books, like Dr. Mary Frances Berry and Dr. Sandy Darity. New reparations leaders like Sydni Scott and Jean-Pierre Brutus, who are blazing a new trail for reparations across the country. Together, we’ve published two printed editions of the newsletter and gotten it into the hands of hundreds of people across the country. This project has afforded us the opportunity to speak at panels and events and has forged formidable partnerships with bookstores and clothing stores. I cannot thank you enough for not only following our journey but, more importantly, for believing that reparations are possible. As we celebrate our 100th edition, I ask you to consider making a donation to support our next significant endeavor — New Yorkers for Reparations.

With radical love,
Trevor

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Opinion: Go Tell it on the Mountain — A Reparations Commission is Coming to New York

In a historic move this Tuesday, Governor Kathy Hochul signed a bill establishing a reparations task force for the state of New York, marking a significant step toward acknowledging and rectifying the historical injustices faced by Black New Yorkers.

Following in the footsteps of California, this signing creates a statewide commission that will be run by nine commissioners, who will study the enduring impacts of slavery and anti-Black discrimination and propose reparations recommendations upon completion of their study.

Here’s all you need to know about this historic feat.

How did this happen?

In 2021, New York State Senator Jabari Brisport and Assemblyman Charles Barron introduced a bill to create a commission on reparations in New York. The baton was picked up by Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages, who introduced the bill in 2022 and again in 2023, where she found a new Senate sponsor in Senator James Sanders Jr., and it eventually passed this past June.

While the bill sat on the Governor’s desk, waiting to be signed, organizers across the state mobilized to draw attention to the pressing need for this commission. Long-time reparations advocates of the December 12th Movement, alongside others like the Brooklyn NAACP and new entrants like the Get Free Movement, held multiple rallies over the course of November, calling on the governor to sign the bill. Other efforts included a sign-on letter with over 100 signatories led by the Democrats Abroad Reparations Taskforce that was delivered to the Governor just days ahead of the bill signing. Lastly, the group behind the newly formed New Yorkers for Reparations worked with Senator James Sanders to host a conversation at the New York Civil Liberties Union, which was attended by Comptroller Brad Lander, Public Advocate Jumanne Williams, Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages, Senator Jabari Brisport, and dozens of advocates across the state to discuss the importance of this moment, and what could come next if the bill was signed.

In her remarks at the bill signing, Governor Hochul admitted that there was a part of her that “worries about leaping into this conversation because of the racial division and strife it could sow,” but also stated that “to those who think that even having this conversation is unfair or wrong, I say it would be wrong not to have it.” The Governor was clearly also in closed-door conversations with the likes of Hazel Dukes of the NAACP and Rev. Al Sharpton, who both delivered remarks at the bill signing.

Clearly, the commitment from Assemblywoman Solages and Senator Sanders, combined with the dedicated organizing from organizations across the state, helped push this bill over the finish line.

Present at the bill signing national leaders like Congressman Jamaal Bowman, Dr. Ron Daniels, and Dr. Thomas Craemer, as well as a host of elected officials across the city and state, showcasing the broad support of this bill.

Noticeably missing were Mayor Eric Adams and progressive New Yorkers like Alexandria Ocasio Cortez.

What comes next?

Now that the bill is signed, the commission must have its first meeting within 180 days from Tuesday, December 19, 2023, which is, coincidentally, Sunday, June 16, 2024, right before Juneteenth.

The commission shall be appointed 90 days from Tuesday, December 19, 2023, which is March 18, 2024. The Commission will be composed of nine members who will be appointed as follows according to the bill text:

Three members shall be appointed by the governor (Kathy Hocul);
Three members shall be appointed by the speaker of the assembly (Carl Heastie)
Three members shall be appointed by the temporary president of the senate (Andrea Stewart Cousins)

The Commission will have to submit a written report “no later than one year” after the date of the Commission's first meeting. It will also be tasked with holding public hearings to solicit input from New Yorkers.

Will the commission propose the same recommendations as California?

There are some key differences between the New York and California legislation, most notably the amount of time the commissions had to create an official report. California had two years to create its report, while New York, as of now, has one year. Sources have told me that the commission may increase the length of time from 12 months to 18 months and that it may stick around for up to a year after the official report to continue to advocate for the recommendations to be turned into law.

In addition, the harms perpetrated in New York look differently than in California. Two New York staples, Wall Street and Central Park, are the sites of anti-Black harm, and this commission will have to grapple with those nuances and propose recommendations that address the specific harms that Black people in New York were subjected to.

How can I get involved?

Continue to follow Reparations Daily (ish) as we hope to expand our coverage in 2024 to continue to highlight the latest reparations news in New York.
Join the New Yorkers for Reparations Coalition, particularly if you are a New Yorker and interested in supporting public education campaigns in 2024. If you would like to support the coalition, please donate here.
Follow organizations like Get Free, December 12th, and Brooklyn NAACP, for updates about their New York work.

News Recommendations

Read more about the historic decision on CBS New York, Politico, the New York Daily News, or the Governor’s press release.
I published a piece in the Nonprofit Quarterly discussing the need for investment in narrative infrastructure within the reparations movement.
New York City Comptroller Brad Lander released a report about the racial wealth gap in New York that found that the median household net worth of white New Yorkers is nearly 15 times that of Black New Yorkers.
Axios reported on new research that found that AI could increase the racial wealth gap by billions.