From Amnesty International USA (http://www.amnestyusa.org):
This Black History Month, Amnesty is reflecting on acts of courage and determination by Black activists to defend human rights throughout history. In the face of racism and violence, Black activists have bravely been at the forefront of progress — from leading movements to end segregation in the 1960s to organizing against police brutality today.
On this very day in 1960, young Black activists, known as the Greensboro Four, changed the course of U.S. history. In response to segregation at a lunch counter in North Carolina, they began a sit-in and refused to leave even when denied service. Their actions made an immediate and lasting impact which forced establishments to change their segregationist policies and led to a movement of sit-ins across the country.
Still, more than 400 years of systemic racism, white supremacy, discriminatory legislation, and violence have created stark contrasts in quality of living, health care, income, and access to education.
The legacy of slavery continues to cast an ugly shadow over justice and equity. And in the U.S., we continue to bear witness to horrific inhumanity and the loss of Black lives at the hands of police. It’s well past time to address this injustice.
The Congressional bill H.R. 40 / S. 40 would create a commission to investigate the past and current impact of slavery and develop reparations proposals for Black Americans. This legislation was introduced 34 years ago (yes, you read that right!), but it languished until passing the House Judiciary Committee in 2021 and being reintroduced last month to the 118th Congress.
Urge your members of Congress to support H.R. 40 at https://act.amnestyusa.org/page/107974/action/1 — an essential first step toward establishing reparations, amending inequity, and paving a way for healing.
We’ve watched Black activists march on Washington, organize to strengthen their communities, demand accountability for police violence, and do so much more for human rights in the face of the irreversible stain of slavery and its lasting consequences in the U.S.
While we can’t undo the crime of slavery, we can demand the reparative justice that is long overdue, starting with H.R. 40 / S. 40.
This critical legislation cannot wither away any longer. Our legislators must act to pass it, and you have the power to demand that they do. In honor of Black History Month, take action now.
Bringing about systemic change and justice is what Amnesty members like you do best, and this is our chance to achieve a historic win for human rights. Help us press Congress to pass this bill and start the process for reparations »
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