H. Res. 194

In the House of Representatives, U. S., July 29, 2008.

Whereas millions of Africans and their descendants were enslaved in the United States and the 13 American colo-nies from 1619 through 1865;

Whereas slavery in America resembled no other form of invol-untary servitude known in history, as Africans were cap-tured and sold at auction like inanimate objects or ani-mals;

Whereas Africans forced into slavery were brutalized, humili-ated, dehumanized, and subjected to the indignity of being stripped of their names and heritage;

Whereas enslaved families were torn apart after having been sold separately from one another;

Whereas the system of slavery and the visceral racism against persons of African descent upon which it depended be-came entrenched in the Nations social fabric;

Whereas slavery was not officially abolished until the passage of the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitu-tion in 1865 after the end of the Civil War;

Whereas after emancipation from 246 years of slavery, Afri-can-Americans soon saw the fleeting political, social, and economic gains they made during Reconstruction evis-cerated by virulent racism, lynchings, disenfranchisement,

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HRES 194 EH

Black Codes, and racial segregation laws that imposed a rigid system of officially sanctioned racial segregation in virtually all areas of life;

Whereas the system of de jure racial segregation known as Jim Crow, which arose in certain parts of the Nation following the Civil War to create separate and unequal societies for whites and African-Americans, was a direct result of the racism against persons of African descent engendered by slavery;

Whereas a century after the official end of slavery in Amer-ica, Federal action was required during the 1960s to eliminate the dejure and defacto system of Jim Crow throughout parts of the Nation, though its vestiges still linger to this day;

Whereas African-Americans continue to suffer from the com-plex interplay between slavery and Jim Crowlong after both systems were formally abolishedthrough enormous damage and loss, both tangible and intangible, including the loss of human dignity, the frustration of careers and professional lives, and the long-term loss of income and opportunity;

Whereas the story of the enslavement and de jure segregation of African-Americans and the dehumanizing atrocities committed against them should not be purged from or minimized in the telling of American history;

Whereas on July 8, 2003, during a trip to Goree Island, Sen-egal, a former slave port, President George W. Bush ac-knowledged slaverys continuing legacy in American life and the need to confront that legacy when he stated that slavery was . . . one of the greatest crimes of history . . . The racial bigotry fed by slavery did not end with

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HRES 194 EH

slavery or with segregation. And many of the issues that still trouble America have roots in the bitter experience of other times. But however long the journey, our destiny is set: liberty and justice for all.;

Whereas President Bill Clinton also acknowledged the deep- seated problems caused by the continuing legacy of rac-ism against African-Americans that began with slavery when he initiated a national dialogue about race;

Whereas a genuine apology is an important and necessary first step in the process of racial reconciliation;

Whereas an apology for centuries of brutal dehumanization and injustices cannot erase the past, but confession of the wrongs committed can speed racial healing and rec-onciliation and help Americans confront the ghosts of their past;

Whereas the legislature of the Commonwealth of Virginia has recently taken the lead in adopting a resolution officially expressing appropriate remorse for slavery and other State legislatures have adopted or are considering similar resolutions; and

Whereas it is important for this country, which legally recog-nized slavery through its Constitution and its laws, to make a formal apology for slavery and for its successor, Jim Crow, so that it can move forward and seek rec-onciliation, justice, and harmony for all of its citizens: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the House of Representatives

(1) acknowledges that slavery is incompatible with

the basic founding principles recognized in the Declara-

tion of Independence that all men are created equal;

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HRES 194 EH

(2) acknowledges the fundamental injustice, cruelty,

brutality, and inhumanity of slavery and Jim Crow;

(3) apologizes to African Americans on behalf of the

people of the United States, for the wrongs committed

against them and their ancestors who suffered under

slavery and Jim Crow; and

(4) expresses its commitment to rectify the lin-

gering consequences of the misdeeds committed against

African Americans under slavery and Jim Crow and to

stop the occurrence of human rights violations in the fu-

ture.

Attest:

Clerk.

111TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. CON. RES. 26

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION Whereas during the history of the Nation, the United States

has grown into a symbol of democracy and freedom around the world;

Whereas the legacy of African-Americans is interwoven with the very fabric of the democracy and freedom of the United States;

Whereas millions of Africans and their descendants were enslaved in the United States and the 13 American colo-nies from 1619 through 1865;

Whereas Africans forced into slavery were brutalized, humili-ated, dehumanized, and subjected to the indignity of being stripped of their names and heritage;

Whereas many enslaved families were torn apart after family members were sold separately;

Whereas the system of slavery and the visceral racism against people of African descent upon which it depended became enmeshed in the social fabric of the United States;

Whereas slavery was not officially abolished until the ratifica-tion of the 13th amendment to the Constitution of the United States in 1865, after the end of the Civil War;

Whereas after emancipation from 246 years of slavery, Afri-can-Americans soon saw the fleeting political, social, and economic gains they made during Reconstruction evis-

2

SCON 26 ES

cerated by virulent racism, lynchings, disenfranchisement, Black Codes, and racial segregation laws that imposed a rigid system of officially sanctioned racial segregation in virtually all areas of life;

Whereas the system of de jure racial segregation known as Jim Crow, which arose in certain parts of the United States after the Civil War to create separate and unequal societies for Whites and African-Americans, was a direct result of the racism against people of African descent that was engendered by slavery;

Whereas the system of Jim Crow laws officially existed until the 1960sa century after the official end of slavery in the United Statesuntil Congress took action to end it, but the vestiges of Jim Crow continue to this day;

Whereas African-Americans continue to suffer from the con-sequences of slavery and Jim Crow lawslong after both systems were formally abolishedthrough enormous damage and loss, both tangible and intangible, including the loss of human dignity and liberty;

Whereas the story of the enslavement and de jure segregation of African-Americans and the dehumanizing atrocities committed against them should not be purged from or minimized in the telling of the history of the United States;

Whereas those African-Americans who suffered under slavery and Jim Crow laws, and their descendants, exemplify the strength of the human character and provide a model of courage, commitment, and perseverance;

Whereas on July 8, 2003, during a trip to Goree Island, Sen-egal, a former slave port, President George W. Bush ac-knowledged the continuing legacy of slavery in life in the

3

SCON 26 ES

United States and the need to confront that legacy, when he stated that slavery was . . . one of the greatest crimes of history . . . The racial bigotry fed by slavery did not end with slavery or with segregation. And many of the issues that still trouble America have roots in the bitter experience of other times. But however long the journey, our destiny is set: liberty and justice for all.;

Whereas President Bill Clinton also acknowledged the deep- seated problems caused by the continuing legacy of rac-ism against African-Americans that began with slavery, when he initiated a national dialogue about race;

Whereas an apology for centuries of brutal dehumanization and injustices cannot erase the past, but confession of the wrongs committed and a formal apology to African- Americans will help bind the wounds of the Nation that are rooted in slavery and can speed racial healing and reconciliation and help the people of the United States understand the past and honor the history of all people of the United States;

Whereas the legislatures of the Commonwealth of Virginia and the States of Alabama, Florida, Maryland, and North Carolina have taken the lead in adopting resolu-tions officially expressing appropriate remorse for slavery, and other State legislatures are considering similar reso-lutions; and

Whereas it is important for the people of the United States, who legally recognized slavery through the Constitution and the laws of the United States, to make a formal apology for slavery and for its successor, Jim Crow, so they can move forward and seek reconciliation, justice, and harmony for all people of the United States: Now, therefore, be it

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SCON 26 ES

Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 1

concurring), That the sense of the Congress is the fol-2

lowing: 3

(1) APOLOGY FOR THE ENSLAVEMENT AND 4

SEGREGATION OF AFRICAN-AMERICANS.The Con-5

gress 6

(A) acknowledges the fundamental injus-7

tice, cruelty, brutality, and inhumanity of slav-8

ery and Jim Crow laws; 9

(B) apologizes to African-Americans on be-10

half of the people of the United States, for the 11

wrongs committed against them and their an-12

cestors who suffered under slavery and Jim 13

Crow laws; and 14

(C) expresses its recommitment to the 15

principle that all people are created equal and 16

endowed with inalienable rights to life, liberty, 17

and the pursuit of happiness, and calls on all 18

people of the United States to work toward 19

eliminating racial prejudices, injustices, and dis-20

crimination from our society. 21

(2) DISCLAIMER.Nothing in this resolution 22

(A) authorizes or supports any claim 23

against the United States; or 24

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SCON 26 ES

(B) serves as a settlement of any claim 1

against the United States. 2

Passed the Senate June 18, 2009.

Attest:

Secretary.

111T

HC

ON

GR

ESS

1S

TS

ES

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S. CON. RES. 26 CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Apologizing for the enslavem

ent and racial segregation of A

frican-Am

ericans.

United Nations A/RES/68/237

General Assembly Distr.: General 7 February 2014

Sixty-eighth session Agenda item 67 (b)

13-45367 *1345367* Please recycle

Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 23 December 2013 [without reference to a Main Committee (A/68/L.34)]

68/237. Proclamation of the International Decade for People of African Descent

The General Assembly, Recalling its resolution 52/111 of 12 December 1997, by which it decided to convene the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, and its resolutions 56/266 of 27 March 2002, 57/195 of 18 December 2002, 58/160 of 22 December 2003, 59/177 of 20 December 2004 and 60/144 of 16 December 2005, which guided the comprehensive follow-up to the World Conference and the effective implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action,1

Reiterating that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights and have the potential to contribute constructively to the development and well-being of their societies, and that any doctrine of racial superiority is scientifically false, morally condemnable, socially unjust and dangerous and must be rejected, together with theories that attempt to determine the existence of separate human races, Acknowledging the efforts and initiatives undertaken by States to prohibit discrimination and segregation and to engender the full enjoyment of economic, social and cultural as well as civil and political rights, Emphasizing that, despite efforts in this regard, millions of human beings continue to be victims of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, including their contemporary manifestations, some of which take violent forms,

Emphasizing also its resolution 64/169 of 18 December 2009, by which it proclaimed 2011 as the International Year for People of African Descent, Recalling its resolutions 3057 (XXVIII) of 2 November 1973, 38/14 of 22 November 1983 and 48/91 of 20 December 1993, by which it proclaimed the three Decades to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination, and conscious of the fact that their objectives are yet to be attained,

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1 See A/CONF.189/12 and Corr.1, chap. I.

A/RES/68/237 Proclamation of the International Decade for People of African Descent

2/2

Underlining its resolution 67/155 of 20 December 2012, by which it requested the President of the General Assembly, in consultation with Member States, relevant United Nations programmes and organizations and civil society, including non-governmental organizations, to launch an informal consultative preparatory process for the proclamation of the International Decade for People of African Descent, with the theme People of African descent: recognition, justice and development, with a view to proclaiming the International Decade in 2013,

Recalling paragraph 61 of its resolution 66/144 of 19 December 2011, by which it encouraged the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent to develop a programme of action, including a theme, for adoption by the Human Rights Council, and in this regard taking note of Council resolution 21/33 of 28 September 2012,2 in which the Council welcomed the draft programme of action for the Decade for People of African Descent3 and decided to transmit it to the General Assembly with a view to its adoption,

Taking note with appreciation of the work undertaken by the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent in producing a draft programme of action that is comprehensive and covers a wide range of areas that could serve as a broad framework for the programme of action for the International Decade for People of African Descent, and the report of the Secretary-General on how to make the International Decade effective,4

1. Proclaims the International Decade for People of African Descent, commencing on 1 January 2015 and ending on 31 December 2024, with the theme People of African descent: recognition, justice and development, to be officially launched immediately following the general debate of the sixty-ninth session of the General Assembly;

2. Requests the President of the General Assembly, through the facilitator, to continue consultations with States members of the General Assembly and other stakeholders, with a view to elaborating a programme for the implementation of the International Decade, with a draft programme developed by the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Effective Implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action as its basis, to be finalized and adopted during the sixty-eighth session of the Assembly and not later than 30 June 2014;

3. Calls for the allocation of predictable funding from the regular budget and extrabudgetary resources of the United Nations for the effective implementation of the programme of action and activities under the International Decade.

72nd plenary meeting 23 December 2013

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2 See Official Records of the General Assembly, Sixty-seventh Session, Supplement No. 53A (A/67/53/Add.1),

chap. II. 3 A/HRC/21/60/Add.2.

4 A/67/879.

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