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 bec
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.
