New York City will soon be the largest U.S. city to implement a reparations program after passing bills sponsored by Councilmembers Crystal Hudson and Farah Louis to create a Truth, Healing, and Reconciliation Commission and a reparations task force. Both bills are now in effect.
“Today, the New York City Council voted to pass legislation establishing municipal efforts to acknowledge and address the legacy and impact of slavery and racial injustices in New York City,” the New York City council announced in a press release. “The package of legislation would establish a Truth, Healing and Reconciliation process on slavery within New York City (which had one of the highest rates of slave ownership in the country in the 1700s), a reparations study, informational signs at the City’s first slave market, and a taskforce to consider the creation of a ‘freedom trail’ commemorating abolitionist movement and Underground Railroad sites.”
The commission will investigate the history of slavery in New York City, its lasting impacts, and propose reforms to protect affected communities and prevent future injustices linked to slavery’s legacy.
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