05/31/2026
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New York State just held a Reparations Hearing – May 30, 2026
The New York State Community Commission on Reparations Remedies held a public hearing on May 30, 2026, at the National Urban League Conference Center in Harlem.
The commission was created after Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation in 2023 to study the history of slavery in New York State and examine potential forms of reparations. The commission’s final report is now due in 2029.
Key statements from attendees at the hearing:
• Aubrey Muhammud: “We need $800,000 for each foundational Black American. That’s simple… that’s about the cost of living that’ll get you a home or a small business or for you to recover from any financial duress.”
• Rex Burns: Proposed “a new Freedmen’s Bureau… like a central bank almost to Black America” to distribute resources to Black communities.
• Brooke Lean: “It shouldn’t only be a check, but it should start with a check. Then we can start addressing education issues, redlining issues, policing issues…”
• Tanasia Poke: Described financial compensation as the path to “true justice” and the way to repair generational impacts.
Several speakers identified as “foundational Black Americans” through groups like The United States Freedmen Project, emphasizing lineage-based eligibility tied to descendants of U.S. slavery.
The hearing is one of multiple public sessions the commission is holding across the state to gather input.
