Supporters of reparations say it's New York's turn

A task force studying reparations is underway in California, and in Boston, there’s a push to establish a reparations commission. Meanwhile, in New York, activists like Leah Goodridge are hoping to gain traction for reparations, despite considerable odds. She said that with Black New Yorkers in power across the state -- running the state senate, the assembly, the New York City Council and of course the Mayor's office -- the time was ripe for reparations. 

Even since protests erupted nationally in the wake of George Floyd's death in 2020, “there really has been a movement overall to put your money where your mouth is,” said Goodridge, a housing advocate.

However, it’s unclear whether that momentum will be sustained in New York. An effort last year to set up a commission to merely study the issue of reparations was passed in the state assembly but not the senate. And of the many recommendations made to Mayor Adams by a Citizens Commission known as New Yorkers for Social Justice, reparations was nowhere to be seen.