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New York, New York August 14, 2024 – The American Descendants of Slavery Advocacy Foundation’s (ADOS AF) New York State chapter (ADOS AF NY) congratulates the New York State Community Commission on Reparations Remedies on the swearing-in of eight of its nine commissioners and the appointment of its first Chairperson, Dr. Seanelle Hawkins, during its first meeting held on July 30, 2024 (It is unclear at this time whether Dr. Ron Daniels was sworn in given his virtual attendance). This is a monumental first step in the Commission’s endeavor to study and recommend policies that will repair the harm that has been inflicted upon ADOS New Yorkers through slavery and various other discriminatory state-sanctioned regimes.
The Commission’s first meeting took place two months after the ADOS Advocacy Foundation, on Juneteenth, announced the launch of its New York State chapter. ADOS AF NY members statewide have already been making their demand for reparations heard across the state by meeting with state legislators and advocating in person for a lineage-specific program of repair. Through continued education, organizing, and lobbying, ADOS AF NY is taking the baton from legacy civil rights organizations and surging forward with the ADOS movement’s signature brand of unflinching data- driven advocacy.
Above all else, ADOS AF NY will fight to ensure that the Commission prioritizes the needs of ADOS New Yorkers. ADOS activists constitute the movement of and for the moment demand that reparations be a federal and lineage-specific wealth transfer in repayment of the debt owed. ADOS AF and ADOS AF NY have the requisite knowledge and experience to supercharge the Commission’s efforts should the Commission take up the proper mantle. To ensure our support, ADOS AF NY urges that the Commission ultimately:
- Find that a debt of wealth is owed to ADOS New Yorkers specifically and that the federal government is responsible for repayment of that debt.
- Present a comprehensive and accurate study of the historical and present injustices and indignities levied upon New York’s ADOS populations by governmental policy and/or dereliction of duty to aid in securing federal reparations
- Recommend and support recognition of ADOS New Yorkers as its own specific lineage and the collection of pertinent data disaggregated to shine light on the condition of ADOS New Yorker
ADOS AF NY appreciates that the Commission was created with the acknowledgment that a debt is owed to ADOS. ADOS AF NY is therefore hopeful that the Commission recognizes this is an opportunity to secure a true reparations program at the federal level while developing and fighting for a transformative Black agenda at the state and local levels. The Commission members can ensure the success of the Commission’s efforts by prioritizing transparent communication and direct input with the population the commission was created to study: ADOS New Yorkers. Every commissioner must prioritize the commission above all other charges to ensure the success of this endeavor, especially given the critical stakes. The urgency of this moment is undeniable.
- The average Black household will have a net worth of $0 by 2053, if not sooner. ADOS New Yorkers specifically have been prevented from building generational wealth through systems as varied as redlining and mass incarceration. Discriminatory practices persist in the workforce, education, medical, and legal sectors.
- ADOS lives are still all too easily extinguished. Hate crimes committed against non-Hispanic Black people – such as the Tops Supermarket shooting in Buffalo, NY where elderly ADOS New Yorkers were targeted and heinously murdered – demonstrate how our lives are devalued. Black people were the target of 52.3% of hate crimes committed nationally between 2020-2022.
- The Commission has less than twelve months now to conclude its study and make recommendations.
- The Commission concluded its first meeting without selecting a Vice-Chair and, to the public’s knowledge, the Commission is without staff.
ADOS AF NY’s persistent push for federal reparations and a transformative Black agenda is sure to productively channel the political frustration of Black New Yorkers statewide. This is but the beginning.
About ADOS AF NY
ADOS AF NY is the New York State Chapter of the American Descendants of Slavery Advocacy Foundation, Inc. It is a grassroots and member-led organization combating the racist political, social, and economic structures which keep ADOS from enjoying the full benefits of citizenship. The ADOS Advocacy Foundation has chapters in nearly a dozen states across the U.S. already, with others launching soon. We invite all who believe that the federal government owes a specific economic and moral debt to ADOS to join us in this just cause.
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