ACLU Statement On Historic HR 40 Mark-Up, It’s A Path To Restorative Justice

April 9, 2021

Today, the House Judiciary Committee announced that HR 40, a bill which would create a commission to study reparations and purpose a remedy bill to congress.

Will see a congressional mark-up on April 14, 2021. This marks the first time in the bill’s 40 year history that it has been up for mark-up.

Jennifer Bellamy, senior legislative counsel at the ACLU, highlighted how this mark-up shows increased support behind the push for reparations in light of America’s reckoning with racial justice:

“The aftermath of hundreds of years of enslavement left African Americans facing rampant violence from lynchings to targeted massacres. Those who survived these horrific crimes were denied dignity in all aspects of civil life, a staggering racial wealth gap, and denial of equal voting rights. The resulting landscape left millions to suffer ongoing health consequences, both physical and psychological.

“Recently though millions of people took to the streets to protest the structured racism that serves as a foundation to this country. While that foundation is deeply entrenched — America has existed longer with slavery (1619-1865: 246 years) than without it (1865-2021: 156 years) — HR 40 is the vehicle through which America can finally analyze the impact of slavery and racism and begin repair.

“Congress has had the opportunity for serious consideration of the issue of reparations for years. HR 40 has sat in front of Congress for the past 30 years and this mark-up shows that our elected officials are finally listening to the will of the millions who demand that we begin to repair the communities most harmed by racism and oppression. While this mark-up is a significant step in the right direction it is just the beginning. We will continue to fight until HR 40 is brought to a full floor vote and ask the Biden administration and Congress to put their full support behind the bill.” 

This statement is here: https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/aclu-statement-historic-hr-40-mark


By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: Harlem World Magazine, 2521 1/2 west 42nd street, Los Angeles, CA, 90008, https://www.harlemworldmagazine.com. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact
We're your source for local coverage, we count on your support. SPONSOR US!
Your support is crucial in maintaining a healthy democracy and quality journalism. With your contribution, we can continue to provide engaging news and free access to all.
accepted credit cards

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related Articles