This program is the second of two that focus on local reparations initiatives. To learn more about the first, which explores reparations in New York City, click here.

In 2023, Governor Kathy Hochul established the New York State Community Commission on Reparations Remedies, tasked with examining the legacy of slavery, subsequent discrimination against people of African descent, and the impact these forces continue to have in the present day.

The nine-member commission, made up of scholars, legal experts, and community leaders, is spending the  year researching the impact of slavery and systemic racism on Black communities in New York. Their goal is to issue a report with recommendations for reparations and policies to address inequities in areas like housing, education, healthcare, and economic opportunity.

Join us for a conversation with one of the nine commissioners, Darrick Hamilton, economist and scholar in racial equity and New York State Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages , a co-sponsor and key advocate for this legislation. The panel will discuss the commission’s work, its policy implications, and the potential for meaningful change in New York’s reparations efforts. Aria Florant, CEO of Liberation Ventures, moderates.

About Just Conversations

Just Conversations is a series co-presented by the Center for Brooklyn History and Brooklyn Org that brings into dialogue issues facing our borough, city, and society and gives voice to the change makers who move us towards a more equitable future.

Participants

Darrick Hamilton, Ph.D. is a university professor, Henry Cohen Professor of Economics and Urban Policy, and founding director of the Institute on Race, Power, and Political Economy at The New School. Considered one of the nation’s foremost public intellectuals, Professor Hamilton redefines how an economy should work, identifies powerful opportunities for investment in human capacity, and propells collaboration alongside field leaders to advance the realization of economic inclusion, social equity and civic engagement for all people in the US and across the globe.

One of the pioneers of identity group stratification, he has been profiled in the New York Times , Mother Jones, Bloomberg’s Business Week and the Wall Street Journal. He has developed and collaborated on transformative policy proposals that have shifted billions of dollars into the hands of people, inspiring legislative proposals at the federal, state, and local levels including baby bonds, guaranteed income, and a federal job guarantee.

Professor Hamilton was named a Freedom Scholar by the Marguerite Casey Foundation. He advises national and global leaders on economic  policy, including the Joint Economic Committee and the Senate Banking Committee. Born and raised in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, New York, he is a graduate of Oberlin College and received a PhD in Economics from the University of North Carolina.

Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages is a lifelong resident of Elmont, and represents the 22nd Assembly District in Nassau County. Michaelle was first elected in 2012 and is the first person of Haitian descent to be elected into the New York State Legislature. She currently serves as the Assembly Deputy Majority Leader as well as Chair of The New York State Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus. As a mother, Michaelle has championed issues like maternal health, and works everyday to ensure New York State is a place where the future generations can grow up to be healthy and prosperous. Michaelle has continued to advocate for Nassau County’s middle class and small businesses by fighting for property tax relief, equitable state funding of schools, and increased public transportation services on Long Island. Michaelle is also nationally recognized as a leading advocate in improving access to quality childcare, implementing a universal pre-k framework on Long Island, and establishing innovative ways to invest in families with young children across the age spectrum from birth to kindergarten.

Aria Florant is Co-Founder and CEO of Liberation Ventures (LV), a field catalyst and intermediary building the power to win federal, comprehensive reparations for Black Americans. Prior to LV, Aria has been a strategist, researcher, management consultant, organizer, teacher, and nonprofit practitioner. She is committed to taking courageous, honest action on racial repair in America, and all of her work drives toward a singular mission: building a world where all people’s whole selves belong.