ADOS AF NY Chapter Leaders Claudio Simpkins and Nikolaus Johnson, along with Chapter members Marcus Murphy, Vondra Calhoun, Stacey Rose, and Yolanda White, attended the York College Reparations Discussion. The panelists for this event were Bill Sponsor New York State Sen. James Sanders Jr. (D), Councilwomen Nantasha Williams (D) and Selvena Brooks-Powers (D), and Assemblyman Khaleel Anderson (D).
Attendees were extremely dismayed when Senator Sanders stated that there was no definitive amount for reparations payments and that an amount of payments would be the last thing that the thing the Commission would focus on. Many of the attendees then expressed that they wanted to ensure lineage-based reparations would be the primary focus of the New York State Community Commission on Reparations Remedies.
ADOS AF NY Chapter Liaison Claudio Simpkins asked the legislators if they would “commit publicly to making sure that there is a serious politically advanced voice [on the Commission] that [would be] a proponent of lineage-based reparations.”
“We have an opportunity to lean on our collective elected officials to pick a panel of or task force that’s going to be representative of the sentiment that’s clearly prevalent in the community…I’ve heard previously that the place to hash these things out is at the task force. Who’s going to be the recipient? How much will we get? So then I put to you, will ADOS – will those that are in favor of lineage-based reparations – have a seat at that task force?”
Video of Chapter Liason Claudio speaking
Though the event ended with the legislators failing to answer to Claudio’s questions or information about how the community would be able to work with the commission in the future, ADOS AF NY is continuing to reach out to those on and close to the Commission to ensure that the lineage-specific voice is heard loud and clear.
