Laura Harding joins New York reparations commission

Laura Harding, Esq. has been appointed to the New York State Community Commission on Reparations Remedies by Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie. Her appointment adds legal, education and housing experience as the nine-member panel studies slavery’s legacy in New York and prepares recommendations for reparatory justice.

Why it matters: - Laura Harding brings civil rights, education, housing and legal expertise to a state commission tasked with studying slavery’s legacy in New York and recommending reparative policies. - The New York State Community Commission on Reparations Remedies is expected to shape future state-level discussions on reparatory justice and inequities affecting people of African descent.

What happened: - The New York State Community Commission on Reparations Remedies appointed Laura Harding, Esq. as a member of its nine-member panel. - New York State Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie appointed Harding. - Harding will join commissioners examining the legacy of slavery in New York State and its impact on people of African descent. - The commission is also responsible for submitting a report and recommendations to the governor and the state Legislature.

The details: - Harding is the founder and CEO of Harding Strategies & Consulting, LLC. - Harding Strategies & Consulting works with mission-driven organizations on capacity building, leadership, strategic planning, fundraising, program development and equity-centered organizational growth. - Harding has supported nonprofits and other organizations focused on fair, affordable and inclusive housing, plus educational equity. - Harding previously served as president of ERASE Racism, a Long Island nonprofit focused on structural racism in housing and public education. - Her public service experience includes leadership roles with District of Columbia Public Schools, the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education in Washington, D.C., and the New York City Department of Education. - Those roles centered on access, inclusion, equity, youth development and student safety. - Harding began her career as a forensic social worker with The Bronx Defenders and the Juvenile Rights Division of the Brooklyn Legal Aid Society. - Harding later served as a clerk in Queens County Supreme Court, Civil Term, and as a staff attorney with Legal Services New York, where she focused on tenants’ rights. - Harding holds degrees from Adelphi University, the University of Chicago and Howard University School of Law. - The commission was established by Senate Bill S1163A and signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul in 2023. - The commission is charged with studying the economic, social and political impacts of slavery and systemic racism in New York State. - The commission is also tasked with developing recommendations for reparative policies. - The commission said Harding’s experience in law, education, housing, civil rights and organizational strategy will support its ongoing work.

Between the lines: - Harding’s background suggests the commission is prioritizing members who can connect historical analysis with practical policy design. - Her mix of nonprofit leadership, education administration and legal advocacy fits a mandate that spans social, economic and political repair. - The appointment also signals continued staffing of a commission whose work depends on both subject-matter expertise and public credibility.

What's next: - The commission will continue its study of slavery’s legacy and its present-day effects in New York State. - Harding is expected to contribute to recommendations that go to the governor and state Legislature. - The commission will eventually advance proposals aimed at addressing historical and contemporary inequities.

The bottom line: - Harding’s appointment adds a lawyer and policy strategist to a commission that could influence New York’s reparations debate and the shape of future reparative policy.