AMSTERDAM — The most enduring legacy of slavery in the Netherlands may be found in neighborhoods like Bijlmermeer, a working-class corner of Amsterdam where many — including those who trace their heritage to the former colony of Suriname — have long felt sidelined.

Slave labor in the South American nation of Suriname generated vast wealth for Amsterdam, and that wealth built many of its palaces and canal-side mansions. But it is in Bijlmermeer — a neighborhood long associated with poverty, crime and aggressive policing — that a movement has grown in recent months to press the city to reckon with this chapter of its history.

Politicians from the area, elected during a vote last year that delivered one of the most diverse city councils in recent memory, have championed a push for Amsterdam to apologize formally for slavery. A majority of the 45-member council, which now has several members descended from slaves, has signed on to the apology initiative that is scheduled to be taken up on February 12. Local politicians say it is likely to pass.

“Amsterdam is a beautiful city, but when you look at some of its most beautiful parts, it is hard to deny that they were financed with income that came from the trans-Atlantic slave trade,” said Don Ceder, a council member whose parents are from Ghana and Suriname. “What we want is for the city to own up to its history, to accept it and to apologize.”