The Resistance Continues: From Harlem to the United Nations: The Expanding Fight for Justice
The Good News is that the Resistance of the No Kings movement, the No More War movements, the
The affordability movement and other Justice movements are growing by leaps and bounds!
The most important are two monumental and historic actions that the Black Press has reported on
extensively, such as the Amsterdam News, but the White press has largely ignored it.
1) The United Nations Reparations Resolution of March 25 of this year.
2) Two new NYC laws of the Office of Racial Equity and The True Cost of Living Reports.
The United Nations Resolution on Reparations
In March of this year, the United Nations adopted an historic reparations resolution presented by Ghana’s president, John Mahama, which stated, “The trafficking of enslaved Africans (12 to 15 million to the Americas) and the racialized chattel enslavement of Africans is the greatest crime against humanity.” The Resolution passed by a vote of 123 to 3. The African Union of 55 nations, the Caribbean Community
of CARICOM nations, the Community of Latin American and American States, and Brazil all voted in favor. The United States, Israel, and Argentina voted no. 55 mainly White European nations abstained.
The African Union (55 nations) announced that it would recognize 2026-36 as the Decade of Reparations. The CARICOM nations announced an agenda that includes direct financial compensation,
debt forgiveness and policy changes.
2) Two NYC laws of 2022 require Annual Reports by the Office of Racial Equity & The True Cost of Living
As to the Office of Racial Equity law, each of the 42 NYC City agencies is required to submit an Annual
Report of the policies, procedures, and practices of racial inequity in their agencies. The Mayor must
release the Annual Report of all of these agencies. Mayor Adams broke the law by refusing to release
the annual Reports on Racial Equity and The True Cost of Living. Mayor Mamdani released the Reports.
Hearings will be held. The Mayor and the City Council can then enact legislation to end racial inequities.
The Annual True Cost of Living Report will tell what is needed for families, workers, and people living on
social services to thrive in the City. Presently, the White family net worth in NYC is $276,900, and Black
family net worth in NYC is $18,870. Seems that someone needs a raise in income!
“It’s been a long time coming!” Decades ago, Councilmembers Bill Perkins of Harlem and Councilmember
Helen Diane Foster of the Bronx introduced legislation similar to the Racial Equity law that voters finally
enacted into law in 2022. At Foster’s office, as another staff member and I worked on this issue, the City Council showed at that time little interest in taking on major challenges of discrimination in City agencies.
How about them NYC voters in the 2022 referendum for enacting the Reports into law by an
overwhelming vote! How about Mayor Mamdani doing the right thing and releasing the Reports!, calling
for public hearings on the Reports, and opening the door for changes in discrimination in City agencies!
