Just Conversations | Voices from New York State’s Reparations Commission

In 2023, Governor Kathy Hochul established the New York State Community Commission on Reparations Remedies, tasked with examining the legacy of slavery, subsequent discrimination against people of African descent, and the impact these forces continue to have in the present day.

The nine-member commission, made up of scholars, legal experts, and community leaders, is spending the  year researching the impact of slavery and systemic racism on Black communities in New York. Their goal is to issue a report with recommendations for reparations and policies to address inequities in areas like housing, education, healthcare, and economic opportunity.

Join Center for Brooklyn History for a conversation with two of the nine commissioners, Darrick Hamilton, economist and scholar in racial equity and Lurie Daniel Favors, civil rights attorney and advocate for racial justice, along with State Senator James Sanders, a co-sponsor and key advocate for this legislation. The panel, the second in the Just Conversations series on reparations, will discuss the commission’s work, its policy implications, and the potential for meaningful change in New York’s reparations efforts. Aria Florent, CEO of Liberation Ventures, moderates.

Just Conversations is a series co-presented by the Center for Brooklyn History and Brooklyn Org that brings into dialogue issues facing our borough, city, and society and gives voice to the change makers who move us towards a more equitable future. This program is the second of two that focus on local reparations initiatives. To learn more about the first, which explores reparations in New York City, click here.