New
York

The state budget extended the Commission's reporting deadline by two years, from 2027 to 2029. Assembly Black Caucus chair Michaelle Solages cited the need for a report that stays "accurate and up to date" amid shifting national politics; Commission chair Seanelle Hawkins reported more than 200 hours of testimony collected so far, with hearings continuing.

At a public hearing, Black New Yorkers pressed the Commission on direct cash payments as, in their view, the only true form of justice — a recurring tension between the Commission's research-and-recommendations mandate and community expectations.

The Commission's hearing tour reached Staten Island, continuing its borough-by-borough and city-by-city collection of testimony from New Yorkers.

Hearings held in the Bronx / Co-op City (April 10) and on Long Island, gathering testimony on housing discrimination and economic inequality in those communities.

The Commission continued its statewide hearing series with stops in Albany and Rochester.

A hearing in Queens added to the growing record of testimony from across New York City.

The Commission's first hearing outside the Capitol, opening its statewide tour in Buffalo.

The Commission convened for the first time in the State Capitol's Blue Room, formally beginning its work.

Governor Hochul, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie announced the nine appointees, bringing expertise in law, public policy, history, civil rights, and economics.

Governor Hochul signed S.1163-A/A.7691 into law, establishing the NYSCCRR to examine the legacy of slavery and subsequent discrimination against people of African descent in New York, and to submit findings within one year of the Commission's first meeting.

CORE issued solicitations supporting the Reparations, Truth, Healing and Reconciliation Network, continuing the process even amid citywide budget constraints.

The first of three legally mandated progress updates under Local Law 92 of 2024 — the other two are due January 1, 2027 and July 1, 2027.

The reparations study law took effect after being returned unsigned by Mayor Eric Adams, alongside the companion local law establishing the Truth, Healing and Reconciliation process under CORE.

The Council passed Introduction 242-A and 279-A, mandating a study on slavery's impacts in New York City and creating the Truth, Healing, and Reconciliation process — including an informational marker at the site of the city's original slave market (1711–1762) on Wall Street.