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A prominent civil rights organization is calling out New York officials for extending the timeline on a highly anticipated state report investigating slavery reparations remedies.
The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) on Friday slammed the New York State Community Commission on Reparations Remedies after a provision embedded in the newly passed state budget pushed the release of its final report back an additional two years—moving the deadline to 2029.
“The state’s decision to spend an additional three years before it takes any action to address these harms raises a lot of questions about when Black New Yorkers will receive reparations,” said Chantelle Williams, the NYCLU’s Assistant Director of the Racial Justice Center, pointing to the total time elapsed since the commission’s inception.
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Assemblymember Michaelle C. Solages, representing New York’s 22nd District, helped draft the Reparations Commission legislation. ( digital)
“Meanwhile, the impact of discrimination continues to harm Black individuals and communities across the state. This delay is not just a bureaucratic inconvenience. It is a disservice to those who have suffered the profound and lasting consequences of inequality,” Williams added.
The New York State Community Commission on Reparations Remedies, a nine-member panel composed of scholars and community leaders, recently concluded a series of statewide public hearings. The final hearing, titled “From Extraction to Repair: Closing the Racial Wealth Gap,” took place in Harlem at the end of May.
The commission was born out of legislation signed by Governor Kathy Hochul in late 2023, which established a panel to examine the state’s historical ties to the institution of slavery, subsequent Jim Crow-era policies, and modern economic disparities like redlining. The body was tasked with compiling those findings into a formal report proposing recommendations for financial compensation and policy changes.
However, state leaders agreed to stall the inquiry. Assemblymember Michaelle C. Solages, D-Nassau County, who helped draft the original legislation, acknowledged that the extension was requested to navigate a changing national landscape, citing the erosion of voting protections and conservative legal challenges against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Additionally, the new budget measure shields the commissioners from personal legal exposure if they face lawsuits over their official findings.
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Williams believes that rushing the final findings would be a mistake, but emphasizes that the clock is ticking for impacted communities.
“The reparations report from the state commission – whenever it’s finally released – will undoubtedly provide ample evidence of past and present harm to Black New Yorkers,” Williams said. “Will the legislature respond to the report’s findings with clear, measurable actions to help repair historic wrongs? That’s an open question, and the answer will depend on lawmakers’ political will.”
The New York State Community Commission on Reparations Remedies held a public hearing on Saturday. ( Digital)
“New York has studied, exposed, and documented injustices committed against Black Americans. Now state leaders must decide whether they are ready to truly make amends for those harms,” she continued.
The Empire State is part of a broader wave of states and local municipalities exploring local reparative structures. Some localities have pushed forward regardless; the Chicago suburb of Evanston, Illinois, made headlines by distributing $25,000 grants to eligible Black residents to address historic housing discrimination.
Williams’ comments come as the NYCLU itself faces fierce criticism from grassroots reparations advocates who take issue with the organization’s overarching philosophy.
At a public hearing held at Hempstead High School on Long Island, Susan Gottehrer, the Director of the Nassau County Chapter of the NYCLU, defended a broad approach to any state-level restitution framework.
“These government policies have affected Black New Yorkers regardless of lineage. Excluding a subset of Black Americans would leave a significant portion of documented racial injustice completely unexamined,” Gottehrer testified.
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At a public hearing held at Hempstead High School on Long Island, Susan Gottehrer, the Director of the Nassau County Chapter of the NYCLU, defended a broad approach to any state-level restitution framework. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images). (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
That stance drew immediate backlash from members of the U.S. Freedmen Project, an advocacy group present at the hearing. Lineage advocates argue that reparations should be strictly reserved for ancestral Black Americans—specifically the direct descendants of individuals enslaved in the United States.
Activists with the Freedmen Project argued that the left-leaning NYCLU and its local chapters do not represent the specific legal and historical interests of foundational Black Americans by trying to include modern Black immigrants under the same compensatory umbrella.
The testimony gathered from these tense public forums will be weighed alongside historical data as the commission continues its work ahead of its revised multi-year deadline.
The NYCLU did not immediately respond to Digital’s request for comment.
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