FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | Download PDF Here
Dear State Reparations Commission Members,
The American Descendants of Slavery Advocacy Foundation, New York Chapter (ADOS AF
NY), congratulates the New York State Community Commission on Reparations Remedies (the
Commission) on holding its inaugural public hearing. We are committed to serving as a
grassroots ally to a serious and open Commission.
To ensure its success, ADOS AF NY urges the Commission to address the following critical
shortcomings identified during its inaugural hearing.
Concerns and Recommendations:
- Timeline and Meeting Frequency: The Commission has less than one year now to conduct all of its public hearings. We urge the Commission to hold monthly public hearings throughout the remaining time frame, to publish a detailed schedule of all such hearings immediately, and to provide an agenda for each hearing at least one week in advance.
- Leadership Election: The authorizing legislation required the Commission to select a Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson by the end of the Commission’s first hearing. Certain Commissioners insisted upon the selection of Dr. Ron Daniels, neither present nor – to the public’s knowledge – sworn in as a Commissioner, as Vice-Chairperson. This push to elect Dr. Daniels in absentia raises concerns about potential collusion. To ensure transparency and efficient progress, we urge the Commission to complete this election at its next hearing.
- Community of Eligibility: The Commission must determine the community eligible for any proposed reparations no later than the close of its next hearing. It would be both farce and a dereliction of duty should the Commission attempt to punt this decision until the time for public hearing has lapsed. Such a pivotal determination cannot be made at the last minute, behind closed doors, or without substantial public input.
- Public Participation: The Commission is here to do the people’s work and the people must be heard. To ensure inclusive engagement, the Commission must clearly outline methods and timelines for public input before its next hearing.
- Staffing: The Commission should prioritize the hiring of ADOS New Yorkers and allies who believe in lineage-specific reparations. All potential staff should be identified by October 2024. Their names, potential titles, and qualifications should be made public prior to their hiring. Finally, the full Commission should publicly vote on approving all staff hires in order to guarantee transparency.
Collaboration for a Model Framework:
Reparations must be a federal and lineage-specific (for ADOS exclusively) transfer of wealth
sufficient to close the lineage wealth gap. Together, we can build a reparations framework that
serves as a model for the nation provided the Commission’s work is focused, transparent,
democratic and fair.
We look forward to the Commission’s efforts to expeditiously address the aforementioned
concerns. We will be present at the Commission’s next hearing to ensure our voice is heard and
we invite the Commission to visit adosfoundation.org/ny/ in the interim for more information on
our advocacy efforts.
Sincerely,
ADOS AF NY
