During the recent Black and Puerto Rican Caucus weekend in Albany, Assemblywoman Nikki Lucas organized a workshop centered around the important subject of reparations. Presenters of the workshop included Friday Jones, Devine Prince, Rev. Coachman, Tony Blount and Timothy Days. The Assemblywoman created a bill draft #07401-01-3; to acknowledge New York State’s role in the fundamental injustice and inhumanity of the institution of slavery; to establish the New York State Task Force on reparations and repair for American Freedmen. To examine all aspects of slavery, subsequent de jure and de facto racial, social and economic discrimination against American Freedmen and the impact of these forces on living American Freedmen and to make determinations regarding compensation and repair; to establish a New York State Freedmen’s Bureau charged with the distribution of reparations & reparative justice passed in legislature by the state.
Assemblywoman Lucas is awaiting an official bill number from the State, in order to take the bill out of draft status.
The Freedmen Project
The Freedmen Project on Reparations is a movement that advocates for reparations to be paid to the descendants of enslaved Africans in the United States. The term “Freedmen” refers to formerly enslaved individuals who were granted freedom after the Civil War.
The goal of the project is to seek reparations for the injustices and atrocities committed against enslaved Africans and their descendants, including the exploitation of their labor, the denial of their basic human rights, and the enduring effects of systemic racism.
Advocates for the project argue that reparations are a necessary step towards achieving racial justice in the United States. They believe that the government has a responsibility to address the harm that was done to enslaved Africans and their descendants, and that reparations could help to address the ongoing disparities in wealth, education, and health outcomes that are still experienced by Black Americans today.
While there is no single approach to reparations, the Freedmen Project on Reparations calls for a comprehensive plan that includes financial compensation, investments in education and economic development, and measures to address systemic racism and inequality.
Subscribe to EastNewYork.com to stay updated on development, housing, politics, local events and more.
