John,

As a Black woman in Congress, I work in a building built by our ancestors who were enslaved. I serve in an institution where past members of Congress enslaved Black people, near the White House where past presidents traded and enslaved Black people.

Throughout my life, I’ve personally experienced how Black people continue to bear the harms of slavery and its vestiges. We see this in present-day health disparities, the growing Black-white wealth gap, escalating police violence against Black communities, and so much more.

That’s why I partnered with grassroots groups to introduce the Reparations Now Resolution, which recognizes the federal government’s responsibility to provide reparations for the enslavement of Africans -- and for the harm our government continues to inflict on millions of Black people.

Please sign on today to become a grassroots co-sponsor of my Reparations Now Resolution.

Throughout our country’s history, the federal government has enslaved and exploited people of African descent. This anti-Black racism is built into our country’s institutions, including our criminal legal system, housing, education, and healthcare.

In my home state of Missouri, Black people are almost 5 times more likely to be killed by police compared to white people. In the U.S., Black people die at 3 times the rate of white people during childbirth.

Across the country, Black people are also 3.6 times more likely to be arrested for cannabis possession than white people, despite using it at similar rates. Arrests and convictions have lifelong impacts that deny people of their basic rights, including voting rights and opportunities for housing and employment.

This is all part of the legacy of chattel slavery and its evolutions, such as Jim Crow, segregation, and redlining.

Discriminatory lending practices are ongoing, contributing to the growing racial wealth gap. And legalized slavery persists in our system of incarceration and policing, which has grown dramatically in the past 40 years.

I’ve introduced policies to address these anti-Black injustices, including by decriminalizing drugs, investing in non-carceral public health alternatives to policing, addressing the trauma of generations of police violence, and investing in the resources Black communities need.

The next and necessary step to achieve racial justice is by enacting reparations.

Please add your name if you agree: We need reparations now.

Add your name »

With love,

Cori Bush

 

 

 

 

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