New Yorkers believe our state should be equal and free for all people, no matter our races, backgrounds, or genders. But these beliefs are not always rooted in reality. Repairing the ongoing harm of white supremacy from its foundation is the only way to make it real.

In 2023, New Yorkers came together to successfully demand that the state legislature and Governor Kathy Hochul enact a historic Reparations Commission to reckon with the legacy of enslavement in the Empire State and make recommendations to address  ongoing anti-Black discrimination and inequalities. Now, we're standing together to ensure our leaders follow through with this urgent and long-overdue work. 

Enslavement holds a foundational role in New York State's history and the laws, lies, and violence of white supremacy that continue to shape our lives to this day. Banks like J.P. Morgan Chase and Citibank and insurance corporations like New York Life made their founding profits by financing the whole system of enslavement. New York continues to suffer from entrenched segregation stemming from white supremacist violence against Black residents during the Civil War and policies like post-WW2 redlining in which wealthy developers and politicians forcibly removed and excluded Black people from many of our cities, towns, and villages. Because of discriminatory laws, myths, and practices, Black women are still 3 to 4 times more likely to die during pregnancy than White women. The median household net worth for White New Yorkers is still nearly 15 times greater than the median household net worth of Black New Yorkers – a stark imbalance resulting from generations of economic theft and discriminatory policies. 

This Reparations Commission will provide us with a roadmap for righting the wrongs of the past and present in our state. But, the loudest voices stoking fears against repair are the same politicians wielding their power to whitewash our history, ban policies that address inequality, and take away our freedoms. That's because the MAGA faction now helming the centuries-old campaign for white supremacy relies on hierarchies of control to hold onto power. Their agenda relies on dehumanizing Black people so they can rule over anyone who doesn't look, live, or love like the wealthy, white few.

When Black people get free, we all get free. The legacy of enslavement harms us all and the path to freedom is through repair. We cannot sit by and allow Black New Yorkers today to continue to deal with ongoing subjugation nor can we condemn future generations to Jim Crow 2.0. 

From Bay Shore to Bedstuy to Buffalo, the people of New York have always determined what's possible. By joining together, we will make our leaders right the wrongs that still impact us today and create a more free and equal future for all. It's time to show New York's leaders that we stand ready to reckon with hard truths and realize our repair mandate:

• Restoring dignity, freedoms, and rights to all those wronged under racial, gender, and economic hierarchies and inequalities. 
• Returning the wealth, land, and resources that rich corporations and the 1% owe to Black communities for generations of exploitation, enslavement, and genocide. 
• Healing our communities from the ongoing trauma and impacts of policies, lies, and violence designed to deny our humanity
• Recognizing and reckoning with the whole truth of U.S. history and how it has shaped our present. 
• Removing ongoing barriers to equality and rewriting the rules to ensure the wrongs founded in enslavement and supremacy never happen again. 

Add your name to the New Yorkers for Reparations sign on letter here.