[ [link removed] ][IMG]
Dear John,
Black people don’t need another symbolic victory without substantive
change. Last week, 156 years since the end of chattel slavery in the US,
Congress passed bills that establish Juneteenth as a federal holiday.
While acknowledging America’s original sin is a step in the right
direction, we need Congress to pass legislation that addresses the impact
of slavery and the legalized oppression of our people. Even in the
aftermath of slavery, when Black people successfully navigated racial
segregation and oppressive Jim Crow laws, racist white mobs—deputized by
government officials—pillaged and destroyed Black communities, with no
consequences to this day. Even in the centennial year of the Tulsa Race
Massacre, the survivors and descendants of the victims are still fighting
to recover denied insurance claims as well as stolen livelihoods and
generational wealth. There has been no redress for the institution of
slavery, the decimation of Black communities, and ongoing harm against
Black people.
But there is a bill in Congress to address this: H.R. 40: Commission to
Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African-Americans Act. Right
now there is overwhelming support behind H.R. 40 with 188 co-sponsors in
the House of Representatives. But we need more co-sponsors in order to
bring H.R. 40 to a full House vote before the congressional recess in
August.
[ [link removed] ]John, will you tell your congress member to co-sponsor H.R.
40?
Black people have been observing Juneteenth since 1866. It is a
celebration of our freedom, our self-determination, and our resilience. We
are not content with a holiday unless it is accompanied by meaningful
legislation that addresses the past and ongoing harm against Black people.
H.R. 40 is not new to Congress; it was introduced in 1989 and has been
delayed and deprioritized for the past 33 years. This is why we can’t
wait. In April, H.R. 40 passed its first committee vote, making it the
closest the US has ever come to reckoning with the impact of slavery.^1
Now we need a full House vote. The momentum for the reparations movement
is building across the country, and states like California and New York
are surpassing the federal government and moving their own reparations
bills. But we still need a national reparations commission, which H.R. 40
would establish. The time for that is right now! We can’t wait for
government leaders to make reparations for Black people a priority—we have
to demand that they do!
[ [link removed] ]John, call your Congress member and tell them to co-sponsor
H.R. 40 today! Justice can't wait!
Until justice is real,
--The Color Of Change team
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reference:
1. “Historic Progress on US Slavery Reparations Bill,” Human Rights Watch,
April 15, 2021,
[link removed]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
[ [link removed] ]Color Of Change is building a movement to elevate the voices of Black
folks and our allies, and win real social and political change. Please
help keep our movement strong.
[ [link removed] ]Make a Donation
<style type="text/css">
blockquote .original-only,
.WordSection1 .original-only
{
display: none !important;
}
</style>
<div class=".original-only">
You can unsubscribe from this mailing list at any time:
[link removed]
</div>
