New York will formally consider reparations for descendants of enslaved people, thanks to a newly signed bill that forces the state to reckon with its role in the institution of slavery.

Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) signed the bill Tuesday, creating a commission that will study just how much the state of New York benefited from slavery, and come up with recommendations for what reparations would look like. In a speech before the signing , Hochul both praised New Yorks history in fighting against slavery, and criticized the many ways that the state profited from it.

Now in New York, we like to think were on the right side of this. Slavery was a product of the South, the Confederacy, she said. New York officially abolished slavery in 1827, though much of the states economy depended on the exploitation of enslaved Black people.

Its easy for us to pat ourselves on the back. We can say were the heroes, we fought against slavery. And indeed, many did, the governor continued. What is hard to embrace is the fact that our state also flourished from that slavery. Its not a beautiful story, but indeed it is the truth.