New York will set up a commission to consider reparations for slavery

New York state will create a commission tasked with considering reparations to address the persistent, harmful effects of slavery in the state under a bill signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday. The bill signing comes at a time when various places throughout the United States attempt to figure out how to best reckon with the country’s dark past. New York now follows California, which became the first state to form a reparations task force in 2020. Other states including Massachusetts and New Jersey have considered similar legislation, but those bills haven't made it over the finish line.