Testimony on Buffalo Reparations

This written testimony is submitted on behalf of the New York Civil Liberties Union’s (NYCLU), Racial Justice Center. Slavery was foundational to New York’s economic development. Banks, insurance companies, and various industries in our state directly profited from the forced labor of enslaved people. This exploitation and other human rights violations were compounded by decades of discriminatory housing policies, exclusionary labor practices, and financial disinvestment and has led us to where we are today – a deeply inequitable economic and social landscape where Black families remain at a disadvantage through no fault of their own. This testimony, we will highlight the following three topics specifically to their ties and legacy to slavery in Buffalo: (1) Environmental Racism (2) Segregated Education and (3) Criminal Justice System.