The New York State Legislature, in the northeastern United States, approved the creation of a commission to evaluate the possibility of paying compensation to the descendants of slaves.
The bill was approved by both houses of New York’s Democrat-dominated Legislature on Thursday and is now in the hands of Governor Kathy Hochul, also a Democrat.
“We want to make sure we look at slavery and its legacy,” MP Michaelle Solages said ahead of the debate in the lower house, which lasted about three hours.
“This is about starting the process of healing our communities. There is still a generational trauma that people face. This is just one step forward,” the Democrat added.
“I am concerned that we are opening a door that has been closed in New York State for nearly 200 years,” Republican Rep. Andy Gooddell said during the debate.
Gooddell, who voted against the bill, said he supports existing efforts to create equal opportunity for all and that he wants to “continue on that path rather than focusing on compromise”.
California was the first U.S. state to establish a work team in 2020 for possible compensation as a result of slavery.
The group recommended that the state formally apologize for its legacy of racist and discriminatory policies and create an agency to provide a wide range of services to black residents, but did not recommend paying compensation.
The report estimated that California is liable for damages worth more than $500 billion (€464 million) due to decades of overpolicing, mass incarceration and discrimination against black families.
Other US states that have discussed the possibility of paying compensation for slavery include New Jersey and Vermont (both in the Northeast), but none have passed legislation to do so.
Evanston, a suburb of the city of Chicago, Illinois (center), became the first North American city in 2021 to provide compensation to black residents through a $10 million housing project. .
At the federal level, a proposal to create a committee to study potential compensation has been stalled in the US House of Representatives for decades.
On April 25, the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, defended that Portugal owes an apology, but above all must take full responsibility for exploitation and slavery in the colonial period.
In May, World History Professor Manuel Barcia, who specializes in slavery in the Atlantic, told Lusa that fear of paying potential compensation has kept Portugal and other states from apologizing for slavery.
Source: DN
