New York considers paying reparations for slavery
New York considers paying reparations to descendants of slaves
New York is considering paying reparations to the descendants of slaves under new plans approved by the City Council.
The proposals are yet to be signed into law by Democratic Mayor Eric Adams. They are aimed at acknowledging and addressing the impact of slavery in New York City
According to the City Council, New York City had one of the highest rates of slave ownership in the country during the 1700s, before abolishing it in 1872.
However, businesses across the city, including the predecessors of some modern banks, continued to benefit financially from the slave trade up until 1866.
The lawmakers behind the proposals noted that the harms caused by the institution are still felt by Black Americans today.
One of the proposals would also require the city to install a sign on Wall Street in Manhattan to mark the site of New Yorkās first slave market. The market operated between 1711 and 1762.
Public Advocate Jumaane Williams said: āThe wealth of Wall Street banks was built on the backs of the human beings sold on that very spot.
āAnd we have a moral obligation to accurately acknowledge this slave marketās tragic history, the pain of enslaved people in our city, and the role slavery had in New Yorkās economy, one which has echoed painfully across generations.ā
Council Member Farah Louis, a Democrat who sponsored one of the bills, told the City Council on Thursday: āThe reparations movement is often misunderstood as merely a call for compensation.ā
She added that systemic forms of oppression still affected Black Americanās today, including through the underfunding of crucial services in predominantly black neighbourhoods.
āDoes that mean we are going to hand everyone a check? No,ā Louis said.
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āBut starting the conversation is the most important part.ā
Support, dissent
City Hall signaled the mayorās support in a statement calling the legislation āanother crucial step towards addressing systemic inequities, fostering reconciliation, and creating a more just and equitable future for all New Yorkers.ā
However, not all city council members were on board with the new bill.
Joseph Borelli, the Republican minority leader of the city council, who represents Staten Island, criticized the plans.
āI bear no responsibility for slavery,ā Borelli said.
āUnless someone could explain to me why I should bear some individual and societal guilt through my taxes, Iām going to be opposed.ā
The new bills would direct the cityās Commission on Racial Equity to suggest remedies to the legacy of slavery, including reparations.
It would also create a truth and reconciliation process to establish historical facts about slavery in the state.
The commission would work with the existing state commission, which is also considering the possibility of reparations. MailOnline