Hundreds of people gathered in Newark today for a celebration to mark Juneteenth, the day when union forces enforced the Emancipation Proclamation in Texas, signaling the end of slavery.

Today's festivities at Harriet Tubman Square here in Newark included free meals from black owned restaurants, live music games and more.

And while people may associate slavery with the South.

New Jersey was once so reliant on enslaved labor that it earned the nickname the slave state of the North.

The statewide advocacy organization, the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice is convening in Newark to discuss the legacy of slavery and what reparations could look like in New Jersey.

Last year formed a reparations council, which has held public discussions that explore slavery's root and systemic racism today.

Tonight's council event is a one year check in for the Institute's two year project, which is expected to culminate next year with a report that will detail the ways white supremacy and slavery have continued to impact black communities in the state and offer policy recommendations for restitution.

For more on the event and what this report means for the state, I'm joined by social justice writer Taylor Jung.

Taylor, thanks for joining me.

Nice to be here.

You know, New Jersey has been widely viewed as a progressive state, but unfortunately, in your reporting, you highlighted how our state does, in fact, have some history with slavery.

Let's talk about that a little.

Yeah, I think people generally associate, you know, slavery with the South.

But New Jersey actually has an extensive history with slavery to the point where they really relied on the slave trade and even slave labor just to create the colony itself.

So that extensive history, the Institute for Social Justice says, you know, extends to today.

The history of slavery never really disappeared.

It turned into other things, whether it be Jim Crow era, exclusionary zoning laws, you know, disparate rates and incarceration.

So that's why they've created this reparations council.

Well, people may not know, as you just mentioned, but the state did create that New Jersey Reparations Council.

So let's talk a little more about the council.

You touched on it, but who's on it and what do they do and why exactly did they create it?

Yeah.

So the Institute for Social Justice made their Reparations Council because at the state level they just felt like there wasn't a lot of support.

Now, the state did create a wealth disparity task force, but the institute said that that wasn't enough.

It wasn't exactly tackling reparations and the idea of how slavery, you know, continues in some capacity today.

So that's why they went ahead after, you know, advocating for several years.

And they said we're just going to do it ourselves.

So they've created this council that has 40 plus members, nine different committees to really look at all the different ways that slavery and its history continues today in some way.

And tonight, we know the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice is convening in Newark to discuss an update.

What can we expect?

Yes, this is really just a one year check in for them.

They launched this effort on Juneteenth last year.

So the council members are going to join talk about all the different things that they discussed in the various public meetings that they've had since September.

And then also take a look at, you know, what are some possible ideas for reparations in the city, whether that be like cash payments or different policies that could help promote better wealth and socioeconomic status for black Americans and New Jersey?

And I guess the big question is, do we anticipate the state will honor their findings and make reparations?

That's the million dollar question.

I think everyone's kind of wondering what exactly will happen.

You know, the institute will put out their report that will collect all these findings on Juneteenth of next year.

Whether or not the state will listen to them, you know, is yet to be seen.

I think they hope that they will in some way that will create, you know, some conversation about potential policies, again, socioeconomic policies that could help tackle these great wealth disparities in the state.

But your guess is as good as mine.

Taylor Jung excellent reporting.

Thank you for joining me.

Have a good one.