Juneteenth renews call for reparations for African Americans, advocates say

WASHINGTON — Despite slim chances of passage and against the backdrop of anti-DEI efforts, some congressional Democrats continue to reintroduce reparations legislation that advocates hope will help build momentum and keep the issue in the forefront.

“Each reintroduction keeps the conversation alive, educates the public and signals to communities across the country that their concerns and histories are being recognized at the highest levels of government,’’ said Jason Williams, a professor of Justice Studies at Montclair State University in New Jersey.

Ahead of Juneteenth, proponents of reparations for African Americans met last week with mostly Democratic lawmakers on Capitol Hill to urge them to continue the push for federal reparations legislation.

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“What better time to introduce policies that are centering repair and truth than at a time when so much disrepair and lies are abundant,’’ said Marcus Anthony Hunter, a reparations advocate and a professor of sociology and African American studies at the University of California, Los Angeles.

A wide variety of proposals for slavery reparations have been proposed over the years, including mental health care for African American descendants of slaves, investments in infrastructure in historically marginalized communities, or direct payments.    

Hunter and other advocates urged support for H.R. 40 recently re-introduced by New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley, both Democrats. The legislation would create a commission to study reparations and develop proposals.

Activists also pushed for the “Reparations Now Resolution” proposed last month by Rep. Summer Lee, a Democrat from Pennsylvania. It would recognize that the country “has a moral and legal obligation to provide reparations for the crime of enslavement of Africans and its lasting harm on the lives of millions of Black people in the United States.”

The congressional measures, which have no GOP co-sponsors, stand little chance of passage in the Republican-controlled Congress. Republican leaders have opposed reparations saying no one alive was responsible for slavery.

In March, Rep. Babin Brian, a Republican from Texas, introduced the ‘’No Bailout for Reparations Act,” which would prohibit the federal government from providing funds to state or local governments that enact laws providing reparations for slavery.

The renewed push also comes in the wake of efforts by the Trump administration to dismantle federal programs that support diversity, equity and inclusion.

“It is not lost on us that this Juneteenth, the nation is experiencing a profound backsliding on racial equity,’’ Glenn Harris, president of Race Forward, a progressive-leaning national social justice organization, said in a statement.

In addition to last week's lobbying led by the National Black Justice Collective, a civil rights organization advocating for LGBTQ+ rights, other groups have also held rallies in D.C. Lawmakers also recently hosted a briefing.

“This Juneteenth, the call for reparations grows louder,'' New Yorkers for Reparations, a coalition of grassroots groups, said in a statement Wednesday. “As cities and states across the country take historic steps toward repair, New York stands at the forefront, affirming that reparations for Black Americans are not only a moral imperative, but a democratic necessity.''

States look to federal reparations bill as lighthouse

The late Rep. John Conyers, a Democrat from Michigan, had introduced H.R. 40 for years. It was named after the “40 acres and a mule’’ the federal government had promised freed slaves. 

Across the country some state and local governments have passed reparation bills, including in Evanston, Illinois, New York and California. In Maryland, Gov. Wes Moore recently vetoed a reparations bill, saying it's not the time for another study and that the state has had related commissions.

Advocates said HR 40 has been the blueprint for proposals adopted by local and state governments so it’s important to continue the push.