New York lawmakers have passed legislation to examine the city’s role in slavery and explore reparations for descendants of enslaved people. If signed by Mayor Eric Adams, the bills would align New York with other U.S. municipalities addressing the nation’s history of slavery, alongside a state commission already working on the issue.
New York officially abolished slavery in 1827, but businesses, including some early versions of modern banks, likely benefited from the slave trade until 1866. The lawmakers behind the bills argue that the lasting effects of slavery continue to harm Black Americans today.
“The reparations movement is often misunderstood as merely a call for compensation,” Council Member Farah Louis, a Democrat who sponsored one of the bills, told the City Council. She highlighted ongoing systemic issues like redlining, environmental racism, and underfunded services in predominantly Black neighborhoods.
