New York State Bar Association Commends Gov. Hochul and Legislature For Taking Significant Step Toward Justice and Equality

New York State Bar Association Commends Gov. Hochul and Legislature For Taking Significant Step Toward Justice and Equality

12.19.2023

By Susan DeSantis

Richard Lewis, president of the New York State Bar Association, issued the following statement about Gov. Kathy Hochul signing a law creating a commission that will study reparations for slavery:

“The New York State Bar Association supports studying the disparities in wealth between whites and people of color. We believe that because of the shameful legacy of slavery, it is morally right to determine how restitution – similar to that paid to Japanese Americans and Native Americans – might in some small way compensate African Americans for years of systemic racism, forced segregation, polluted neighborhoods, redlined communities, unsafe drinking water, and income inequality. We commend Gov. Hochul and the Legislature for taking this significant step toward justice and equality.”

The New York State Bar Association’s Task Force on Racism, Social Equity and the Law, appointed by former President T. Andrew Brown, supported the legislation in a report approved by the association’s governing body in January of 2023.