By Harmeet Kaur, CNN— Slavery reparations are back in the national spotlight. A House Judiciary subcommittee held a hearing this week to discuss establishing a federal commission that would explore…
The House Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties held a hearing on “H.R. 40: Exploring the Path to Reparative Justice in America” on…
The House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties held a hearing on H.R. 40, the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African-Americans Act, on February 17, 2021. The 10:00 a.m. ET hearing examined the legacy of slavery, its continuing impact on the Black community, and the path to reparative justice. Watch the full virtual hearing here. Witnesses slated to testify at the…
By Enola G. Aird, CHN Founder and President — When the United States Congress returns to the issue of reparations tomorrow, the most important thing for everyone to remember is that everything depends on how the problem is defined. On Wednesday, February 17, 2021, the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties will continue hearings on HR 40 to “explore the path to reparatory justice” for Black people. I fully support reparations…
By Professor Sir Hilary Beckles — On behalf of the CARICOM Reparations Commission, allow me to congratulate members of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties for conducting this Congressional hearing on the HR40 Bill. Your hearing comes at a time when the global movement for reparatory justice for 250 years of enslavement and genocide and for dismantling the structures of systemic racism and white supremacy…
By Susan Neiman, Los Angeles Times — Born as a white girl in the segregated South, I’ve spent most of my adulthood as a Jewish woman in Berlin. This double perspective has fueled my resolve to explore America’s fraught relationship with its history. It is easy to point to the differences between the Holocaust and the enslavement and abuse of millions of Africans. When examining possible responses to these crimes,…
By Nicholas Wu and Deborah Barfield Berry, USA Today — WASHINGTON – Calling racism the “poison of America,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer gave his support Tuesday to a bill to set up a commission to study reparations. “The disparities in race affect everything, not just the obvious things, but the non-obvious things” like pollution and climate change, Schumer explained. The bill, proposed by Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Texas…
By Emily Tillett, CBS News — The topic of reparations for the descendants of Americans who were enslaved has come up on the 2020 campaign trail and in the halls of Congress, as lawmakers continue to push for a commission to study and consider reparation proposals. One of those lawmakers, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas, says some in Congress are now turning reparations into a “constructive discussion on the…
By Christian Weller — This article was originally published in Forbes on June 19, 2019. June 19th marks the anniversary of the abolition of slavery in Texas and a reminder…
By Dr. Julianne Malveaux — I was honored to have been asked to provide testimony at the House Judiciary Committee hearings on H.R. 40, the legislation that would establish a commission to study reparations and recommend remedies to Congress. It is relevant legislation that has been a long time coming. It is important to note that the bill does not “cash the check,” as Dr. Martin Luther King challenged when…
Black women often have spearheaded the fight for reparations, but it’s time they put their needs front and center. By Courtland Milloy, The Washington Post — At a recent congressional…
By The Real News Network — This week, the first congressional hearing on reparations in nearly 12 years was held on Capitol Hill. As the discussion on reparations matures, what needs to happen politically for the effort to move forward? Story Transcript TA-NEHISI COATES For a century after the Civil War, black people were subjected to a relentless campaign of terror. A campaign that extended well into the lifetime of…