NYC council approves reparations bill creating 'truth and reconciliation process'

The New York City Council on Thursday passed a bill which will address its "legacy and impact of slavery and racial injustices" by introducing a "Truth, Healing and Reconciliation process" within the city.

In 2023, councilmembers weighed a slew of anti-racism proposals, including acknowledging the city's history of slavery and removing statues of slave owners. Included in those proposals was a truth and reconciliation process to "empower affected persons" and hold public displays related to the city's history of slavery.

The council said it will initiate a reparations study, place historical signage at the site of the city's first slave auction and begin the creation of a "freedom trail" recognizing abolitionists.

"The legacy of slavery and systemic racism has impacted all facets of our society today, and it's important that our city recognizes and takes steps to redress these longstanding harms," Speaker Adrienne Adams said. "By creating new processes to fully examine the present-day impacts of injustices inflicted on Black New Yorkers and communities, we are advancing necessary efforts to consider potential remedies that can lead to healing and reconciliation."

The legislation came after New Yorkers approved the city Racial Justice Commission's Roadmap for Racial Justice recommendations. That group also called for city leaders to publicly "acknowledge and repair" the city's racist past.

The State of New York approved the creation of a reparations commission last year.

"In New York, we like to think we're on the right side of this. Slavery was a product of the South, the Confederacy," Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, said." What is hard to embrace is the fact that our state also flourished from that slavery. It's not a beautiful story, but indeed it is the truth."