Dozens of community members are urging the university to establish a committee of students, faculty and administrators to research and report ways that NYU can mitigate racial disparities on campus. The resolution was initially slated for a vote at the Student Government Assembly next week, but it is currently paused due to concerns amid a federal crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
The NYU Reparations Committee movement, spearheaded by the youth-led organization Get Free NYC, calls for the university to broaden its efforts to combat racial injustices on campus. The proposed committee would investigate current and historical university practices to assess what policies perpetuate racial disparities, and how they can be effectively combatted. It would also prepare a public report detailing recommendations for NYU, and publish a website that comprehensively details its institutional ties to slavery.
Thursday afternoon, 10 proponents for a reparations committee gathered under the Washington Square Arch and passed out flyers with QR codes linking to the petition. The group chanted “NYU, don’t comply, stand for truth, don’t standby” and held signs that read “THEY’RE TAKING AWAY OUR FREEDOMS” and “THEY’RE GREENLIGHTING DISCRIMINATION.”
“We are taking a stance and asking for concrete steps towards repair,” Havann Brown, a member of Get Free NYC and CAS junior, said in an interview with WSN. “If you have a long history of oppression, you heal from that through recognizing the impact you made and working towards a solution.”
In the resolution, the committee references reparations commissions and initiatives similar to those at 106 other colleges including Brown University, Yale University and Harvard University — all of which have launched restorative efforts including financial restitutions, divestment campaigns and alternative historical campus tours.
In an interview with WSN, SGA chair Angela Chou said that student government officers are currently reaching out to professors and administrators to bolster support for the committee. She said the resolution has passed through the Student Senators Council, and that general SGA will return to it once support is more widespread and there’s no longer concern about potential consequences for students advocating for diversity initiatives.
“We want to be intentional about the legislation we pass because it does place a spotlight on student groups that are advocating for initiatives like DEI programs,” Chou said. “It’s about being intentional about the right timing and place, to really push legislation and ensure that a real option is attached to it.”
Students at the rally also demanded that the university refrain from tax cuts, in light of a New York state bill that could make NYU and Columbia University pay more than $300 million more in property taxes combined. The letter criticizes the university as one of the largest property owners in New York City, asserting that their real estate holdings have contributed to “gentrification and financial barriers to access.”
At the rally, Brown said the committee is especially important as NYU faces declining Black student enrollment after the U.S. Supreme Court banned affirmative action in 2023. The first admissions cycle following the verdict, NYU’s enrollment of Black students fell from 7% to 4% — inciting concern from administrators.
The proposal is also endorsed by five on-campus organizations, including NYU’s College Democrats, Black Student Union and chapter of Young Democratic Socialists of America. In 2021, hundreds of students signed a petition calling for similar reparations efforts — however, it was not addressed by the university.
“Our goal is to work alongside administrators to find a middle ground of how we can really strengthen this committee,” Chou said. “It’s more critical than ever for the university to find ways to advocate for underserved and marginalized communities that need their voices amplified.”
Contact Amanda Chen at [email protected].
