New York City, governed by the Democrat party, may soon introduce reparations for slavery following a decision made by the city council on Thursday. The council approved legislation that will look into the role of New York City in the history of slavery as a way to determine whether reparations are warranted for descendants of people who were enslaved. Fox 5 reported on Friday that if the measure is signed into law, the city would become one of the few places actively working towards reparations, following the Racial Justice Commission’s (RJC) ‘Roadmap for Justice,’ a series of measures aimed at addressing racial justice and reconciliation.
In June 2023, Breitbart News reported that a commission to consider reparations would proceed in the state of New York under a bill passed by the state’s Legislature. The outlet also noted that reparations were on the political agenda across several states around the country. Councilmembers Crystal Hudson and Farah Louis sponsored two bills aimed at establishing a Truth, Healing and Reconciliation Commission and a reparations task force. Both of these bills passed on Thursday and will be effective immediately.
Despite this progress, New York City Council Minority Leader Joseph Borelli expressed his disagreement with the legislation, stating he would not pay any reparations for something he did not cause or participate in. Meanwhile, radical leftists are pressuring their ally, Vice President Kamala Harris (D), who is running against former President Donald Trump for the White House in 2024, to continue supporting the idea of reparations. Despite 68% of Americans opposing reparations according to a Pew Research poll in 2022, Harris has pledged multiple times to make taxpayers pay reparations for descendants of Africans who were enslaved. During her presidential campaign in 2020, she told Reverend Al Sharpton, an MSNBC host and activist, that she would sign a reparations bill if she became president.