New York Gov. Hochul Passes Law Forming Commission to Study Racial Reparations

A new commission is set to study possible racial reparations schemes for New York residents of African descent. Democratic New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed a bill into law on Tuesday morning, that establishes the “Commission to Examine the Institution of Slavery, Subsequent Racial and Economic Discrimination Against People of African Descent, and the Impact on Living People of African Descent.” The commission will be tasked with studying the impacts of slavery and subsequent racial discrimination against ancestors of slaves and people of African descent, and make recommendations to address those impacts, including changes in law, and potentially financial compensation. “In New York, we like to think we’re on the right side of this. Slavery was a product of the South, the Confederacy,” Ms. Hochul said at a signing ceremony on Tuesday. “What is hard to embrace is the fact that our state also flourished from that slavery. It’s not a beautiful story, but indeed it is the truth.”...