Chaos erupts at NY reparations hearing as ‘Foundational’ Black Americans clash with left-leaning groups
Black residents in New York are voicing sharp concerns to state officials over a proposed reparations plan, warning that broadening the program's scope to include other marginalized groups and recent immigrants could co-opt and dilute their movement.
"I think it's important because as Foundational Black Americans who've been here since the founding of the country, coming in as slaves, and also indigenous people who are here, we have a claim to the country," Aubrey Muhammad told Fox News Digital. "We have our own culture, and we deserve to be compensated for what our ancestors have been put through."
Muhammad delivered his testimony to the New York State Community Commission on Reparations Remedies during a crowded public hearing at Hempstead High School on Long Island last month. During the session, he accused Democrats of actively importing "Latinos" from South America to fill "voting rolls" as "replacements for us," while further alleging that incoming populations are gentrifying traditionally Black neighborhoods.
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In a follow-up interview with Fox News Digital, Muhammad doubled down on his public testimony.
"The Democrats, in a sick way, imported 25 million immigrants. And 70% of them came into poor Black neighborhoods," Muhammad claimed. "Hempstead, since the '90s, has been flooded with immigrants. That's taking the resources, putting them towards others."
Demographic data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that the Village of Hempstead has undergone significant demographic shifts over the last three decades. Today, the community of roughly 59,000 is evenly divided between majorities, sitting at approximately 45.7% Black or African American and 44.8% Hispanic or Latino. In 1990, the Hispanic population accounted for around 14%.
The public hearing was organized by the state's nine-member reparations commission—which was established by law in December 2023—to gather public input and examine the historical legacy of slavery and subsequent discriminatory policies in New York.
"I think that we are owed a debt," Caprice Reins, a local resident who attended the event as a spectator, told Fox News Digital.
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The public hearing was organized by the state's nine-member reparations commission—which was established by law in December 2023—to gather public input and examine the historical legacy of slavery and subsequent discriminatory policies in New York.
Several speakers at the hearing represented "The United States Freedmen Project," a group of self-identified "Foundational Black Americans." The organization aims to educate the public on the legal and historical distinctions between African Americans who are direct descendants of enslaved people in the U.S. and those who immigrated to the country voluntarily in recent decades.
The debate grew contentious at times, culminating in at least one speaker storming out of the auditorium while shouting at Freedmen Project supporters.
"Sit down with the clowns if you want to!" the speaker, who declined to identify himself to Fox News Digital, yelled as he left. "Stand up for freedom."
Supporters of the Freedmen Project argued that any state-level reparations bill based strictly on race would violate the U.S. Constitution's Equal Protection Clause. They urged state officials to base eligibility criteria strictly on proven "lineage" to insulate the program from inevitable legal challenges.
"If those are based on race, they're going to be shot down like affirmative action, like the Fearless Fund, like the farmer's bill," Divine Prince, a spokesperson for the Freedmen Project, told Fox News Digital, referencing recent federal court rulings that struck down race-conscious policies.
Addressing those legal concerns at the conclusion of the hearing, commission member Dr. Ron Daniels acknowledged the complexity of navigating the law.
"The idea that we feel that we should somehow craft something that will not in some way look like it's racial is somewhat problematic," Daniels said. "We do have a legal team, we have legal counsel, and there is a whole body of lawyers who, in fact, are dealing with… an injury- and harm-based proposition in terms of how to present reparations."
Tensions also flared over the presence of the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU). Members of the Freedmen Project argued that the left-leaning organization and its local chapters do not represent the specific interests of ancestral Black Americans.
Susan Gottehrer, the Director of the Nassau County Chapter of the NYCLU, defended a broader approach to addressing systemic inequities.
"These government policies have affected Black New Yorkers regardless of lineage. Excluding a subset of Black Americans would leave a significant portion of documented racial injustice completely unexamined," Gottehrer said.
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Muhammad called Gottehrer's remarks "disrespectful" because they conflate the distinct historical experiences of different Black populations.
"The ACLU just wants funding so they get some of our reparations money to pay for these other causes," Muhammad alleged. "They form these organizations, they give them funding, and they bless these immigrants—they bless these other groups, marginalized groups."
Brooke Lean, who attended the hearing wearing a shirt promoting the Freedmen Project, agreed that the civil liberties group's platform diverges from the core goals of the reparations' movement, asserting that not all Black residents have an equal claim.
"They want to erase our story, dilute our story by adding in a bunch of people who just got here, whose ancestors did not build this country," Lean told Fox News Digital.
Freedmen Project members also criticized New York State Assemblymember Michaelle C. Solages (D-22nd District), a primary sponsor of the legislation that created the commission, for suggesting that reparations should address systemic issues impacting all Black New Yorkers.
"When we draft the legislation for the commission, we want to ensure that we're having a thorough conversation about slavery and its harms, whether it's mass incarceration, health disparities, the lack of educational opportunity for folks, or the wealth gap," Solages said.