A group of black state lawmakers are calling for New Jersey to examine its historic role in slavery and possibly pay reparations to its black residents.

Leaders of the state’s Legislative Black Caucus on Thursday introduced a bill that would establish the New Jersey Reparations Task Force.

If approved, the panel would research the history of slavery in the Garden State, any racial discrimination and disparity that stemmed from it, and how the state could help make up for it.

“The existence and history of slavery in the United States is the greatest evil our country every committed,” said state Sen. Ronald Rice, D-Essex, the caucus’ chairman. “The continuation and institutional racism spanning from the emancipation of slaves to the present continues the darkest part of history.”

The proposal comes as the U.S. remembers the 400th anniversary of the first slaves arriving in Jamestown, Virginia, in 1619.

New Jersey fought for the Union in the Civil War but was the last of the Northern states to abolish slavery.

The lawmakers argue that the negative effects of slavery have lingered for decades, including voter suppression, racial wealth gaps, mass incarceration, segregation, and poor infrastructure in black communities.

About 13 percent of New Jersey’s current population is black.

“This is a first step in righting our country’s greatest wrong,” state Sen. Sandra Cunningham, D-Hudson, said at a news conference at the Statehouse in Trenton. “It is time we begin the long and painstaking process to rectify our past.”

State Assemblywoman Shavonda Sumter, D-Passaic, who said she is the great-granddaughter of sharecroppers, said all of the “injustices” against black residents “were by design.”

“New Jersey will be an example for our country and for the world to look at as far as how we repair these irreparable harms and move into a future that will be great for generations to come," Sumter added.

The task force would consist of 11 members — three appointed by the governor and eight by legislative leaders. At least four of the public members would have to be recommended by organizations dealing with civil and human rights and racial equality.

The panel would hold six public meetings and issue an interim report within a year and a final report within two years.

The bill would need to be passed by both houses of the Democratic-controlled state Legislature and signed by Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy to become law.

Murphy said at an unrelated news conference in Trenton on Thursday that he’d be “open-minded” to reparations. He added that slavery is “a scourge that we live with.”

“We want to lead the nation in social justice, and matters that relate to the awful legacy of slavery is included in that," the governor said.

Five other states have considered similar measures. And New Jersey U.S. Sen. Cory Booker introduced a similar bill at the federal level in April. It would establish a commission to study the impact of slavery in America and recommend reparations.

“Right now, today, we have a historic opportunity to break the silence, to speak of the ugly past, and talk constructively on how we will move this nation forward,” Booker, who is running for the Democratic nomination for president, said during testimony on the issue at a U.S. House Judiciary subcommittee hearing in June.

Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01.

Tennyson Donnie Coleman may be reached at tcoleman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @TennysonTV. Find him on Facebook.

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