IV 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 62 

Expressing the sense of Congress that Congress, as well as people throughout 

the Nation, should hold an annual commemorative event on or near 

August 20th to revere, honor, and remember the victims of slavery 

in the United States as well as to prevent slavery from ever happening 

again. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

AUGUST 18, 2023 

Mr. GREEN of Texas submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 

referred to the Committee on Oversight and Accountability 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of Congress that Congress, as well 

as people throughout the Nation, should hold an annual 

commemorative event on or near August 20th to revere, 

honor, and remember the victims of slavery in the United 

States as well as to prevent slavery from ever happening 

again. 

Whereas this resolution may be cited as the ‘‘Original Slavery 

Remembrance Day Memorialization Resolution’’; 

Whereas the institution of slavery was a crime against humanity; 

Whereas the institution of slavery, which was intrinsically inhumane and abhorrent, imposed countless years of sufVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:18 Aug 18, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HC62.IH HC62

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•HCON 62 IH 

fering on millions of innocent individuals, forever marking our Nation’s past; 

Whereas any attempt to minimize or rationalize the severity 

of slavery must be steadfastly rejected; 

Whereas the abhorrent notion slavery may have been more 

beneficial than detrimental to those enslaved at any point 

in time is utterly false and harmful; 

Whereas the enslaved people, regardless of their age, sex, or 

status, were subjected to a spectrum of brutalities and 

inhumanities, from relentless physical and psychological 

abuse to systemic dehumanization; 

Whereas the forced labor endured by the enslaved was not 

only physically strenuous but often involved dangerous 

tasks, leaving the enslaved vulnerable to accidents, disease, and in many cases, resulting in premature death; 

Whereas physical punishment, often extreme, was a daily reality for the enslaved, aimed not only at ensuring their 

submission but also at instilling fear and eroding their 

self-worth; 

Whereas the enslaved in the United States lived under constant threat of sexual exploitation, a tool wielded to exert 

control and further degrade them; 

Whereas one of the most heart-wrenching aspects of slavery 

was the forced separation of families; 

Whereas the system of slavery sinisterly disregarded familial 

bonds between spouses, siblings, parents and their children by selling them to different enslavers; 

Whereas the enslaved were stripped of their dignity, identities, cultures, and languages, by enslavers to erase their 

humanity; 


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Whereas many enslaved individuals died unnamed, 

unacknowledged, and unappreciated, their lives and contributions lost in the shameful shadows of the institution 

that dehumanized them; 

Whereas White supremacy and the repercussions of slavery 

did not end with the abolition of the institution; 

Whereas slavery has left an enduring legacy that can still be 

observed in various forms, including systemic racism and 

social inequality; 

Whereas descendants of enslaved individuals continue to be 

impacted by the lasting effects of slavery, manifesting in 

disparities in health, education, and wealth accumulation; 

Whereas it is critical to recognize and address the racial 

wealth gap, a direct product of slavery and subsequent 

discriminatory practices, which hampers the ability of African Americans to accumulate wealth comparable to 

White Americans; 

Whereas future generations must be vigilant in recognizing 

and combating signs of racial prejudice, social inequality, 

as well as all other forms of invidious discrimination, exploitation, and subjugation; 

Whereas the fight against contemporary progenies of slavery, 

such as human trafficking, must be relentless to ensure 

history does not repeat itself; 

Whereas education and public awareness are essential tools in 

preventing the resurgence of practices reminiscent of 

slavery, emphasizing the importance of teaching the history of slavery in a truthful and comprehensive manner; 

Whereas, in addition to acknowledging the atrocities committed, it is essential to remember and celebrate the 

strength, resilience, and contributions of the enslaved, as 


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well as their survival and resistance against a system designed to annihilate their identities and self-worth; and 

Whereas the Nation must commit to a continuous process of 

reconciliation and healing, acknowledging the historical 

truth about slavery as well as its enduring impact, while 

working toward meaningful reparative justice: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 

2 concurring), 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This resolution may be cited as the ‘‘Original Slavery 

5 Remembrance Day Memorialization Resolution’’. 

6 SEC. 2. SLAVERY REMEMBRANCE DAY COMMEMORATIVE 

7 EVENTS. 

8 (a) ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO HOLD EVENTS.— 

9 (1) ARCHITECT OF THE CAPITOL.—It is the 

10 sense of Congress that Congress, in consultation 

11 with the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian 

12 Institution, should hold an annual commemorative 

13 event on an appropriate day at a location in the 

14 United States Capitol Complex to revere, honor, and 

15 remember the victims of slavery. 

16 (2) OTHERS.—Congress encourages all people 

17 of good will throughout the Nation to hold an an18 nual commemorative event on an appropriate day to 

19 revere, honor, and remember the victims of slavery. 


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1 (b) LOCATION OF EVENTS.—It is the sense of Con2 gress that the annual commemorative event described in 

3 this section should be held at a location that can provide 

4 an appropriate degree of solemnity and dignity for such 

5 an occasion. 

6 (c) DIALOGUE OF EVENT.—It is the sense of Con7 gress that the annual commemorative event described in 

8 this section should feature the dialogue recommended in 

9 section 3 or a close variation of such dialogue. 

10 (d) PURPOSE.—The commemorative event described 

11 in this section is designed to serve as a memorial to the 

12 victims of slavery, to educate the public about the histor13 ical reality as well as the lasting impact of slavery, and 

14 to inspire continued commitment to not only fight contem15 porary racial injustice and inequality, but also to continue 

16 the struggle for reverence and justice for the enslaved 

17 whose lives were sacrificed to make America great. 

18 SEC. 3. DIALOGUE. 

19 (a) CONTENTS.—The dialogue recommended in this 

20 section is as follows: 

21 ‘‘If you can, please join me by standing and 

22 placing your right hand over your heart to show 

23 heartfelt sorrow for the millions who suffered the 

24 horrors of slavery. 


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1 ‘‘Over the next few minutes, we will recall var2 ious well documented aspects of the experiences of 

3 American slaves. 

4 ‘‘At the end of each of these summarized expe5 riences I will say the words ‘we must’: 

6 ‘‘Immediately after I say, ‘we must’ I would like 

7 you (each of you) to, in unison, say ‘always remem8 ber’. 

9 ‘‘Let’s begin. 

10 ‘‘To prevent the evils of slavery from being re11 peated we must: 

12 ‘‘Always remember. 

13 ‘‘To commemorate the suffering and the lives 

14 lost because of slavery we must: 

15 ‘‘Always remember. 

16 ‘‘For the first 20 enslaved Africans who arrived 

17 in the British colonies at Point Comfort near what 

18 is now Norfolk Virginia on August 20, 1619, we 

19 must: 

20 ‘‘Always remember. 

21 ‘‘For the 12 million humans from all walks of 

22 life whose lives were stolen from them when they 

23 were kidnaped from Africa we must: 

24 ‘‘Always remember. 


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1 ‘‘For the Africans sold into slavery by other Af2 ricans we must: 

3 ‘‘Always remember. 

4 ‘‘For the 12 percent of human beings who suf5 fered the deadly middle passage and did not survive 

6 the horrific voyage to America we must: 

7 ‘‘Always remember. 

8 ‘‘For the men, women, and children on slave 

9 ships, many of whom were kept naked and packed 

10 close together, with many shackled and chained we 

11 must: 

12 ‘‘Always remember. 

13 ‘‘For enslaved human beings who often worked 

14 from sunup to after sundown, 6 to 7 days a week 

15 often without food we must: 

16 ‘‘Always remember. 

17 ‘‘For the mothers and fathers who were sepa18 rated from their children and sold on the auction 

19 blocks we must: 

20 ‘‘Always remember. 

21 ‘‘For the freedom fighters such as Nat Turner 

22 who fought to free enslaved people; who gave their 

23 lives in the fight for freedom and justice we must: 

24 ‘‘Always remember. 


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1 ‘‘For the tens of thousands of slaves who risked 

2 their lives in search of freedom on the Underground 

3 Railroad we must: 

4 ‘‘Always remember. 

5 ‘‘For freedom fighters such as Harriet Tubman, 

6 who escaped slavery and dedicated her life to return7 ing to the South no less than 13 times freeing 

8 enslaved men women and children, we must: 

9 ‘‘Always remember. 

10 ‘‘For the White liberators like John Brown and 

11 President Abraham Lincoln who lived and died com12 bating the horrific institution of slavery we must: 

13 ‘‘Always remember. 

14 ‘‘To commemorate the centuries of suffering, 

15 the years of tears shed, the history of hearts broken, 

16 the brutality of blood spilled, and the grieving over 

17 lives lost because of slavery we must: 

18 ‘‘Always remember. 

19 ‘‘Yet, in the spirit of righteous remembrance 

20 imbued with love for our country that hasn’t always 

21 loved its brothers and sisters of African ancestry, we 

22 have to acknowledge that: 

23 ‘‘In spite of slavery and despite its invidious 

24 offsprings: mass lynchings, convict leasing, Black 


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1 codes, lawful segregation, and institutional racism, 

2 African Americans have come a laudably long way. 

3 ‘‘From our arrival on slave ships to our ascen4 sion to judgeships, 

5 ‘‘From surviving the Middle Passage to thriving 

6 among the masses, 

7 ‘‘From shackled in chains to creating societal 

8 change, 

9 ‘‘From sitting in the back of buses to owning 

10 bus companies, 

11 ‘‘From having no house to living in the White 

12 House, 

13 ‘‘From painfully picking cotton to proudly pick14 ing Presidents, 

15 ‘‘From adult males and females being dis16 respectfully called boy and girl to being respectfully 

17 presented as Mr. President and Madam Vice Presi18 dent. 

19 ‘‘The truth be told, although we have come a 

20 long way, we still have a way to go. 

21 ‘‘In closing let us resolve that as we forge for22 ward we will commemorate our past and embrace 

23 our destiny, always remembering the hardships peo24 ple of African heritage have endured in tandem with 

25 the victories won in spite of the seemingly invincible 


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1 challenges emanating from insidious slavery and its 

2 invidious progenies! 

3 ‘‘Through it all we must: 

4 ‘‘Always Remember. 

5 ‘‘We must: 

6 ‘‘Always Remember. 

7 ‘‘We must: 

8 ‘‘Always Remember. 

9 ‘‘If you can, I would ask that you participate in 

10 a moment of silent solemnity at noon on August 

11 20th wherever you may be. 

12 ‘‘During this moment, wherever you are, place 

13 your right hand over your heart and with a moment 

14 of silent solemnity, give thought to the millions who 

15 toiled and lost their lives under slavery, and lovingly 

16 utter the phrase ‘I Remember’.’’. 

17 (b) RECITATION.—The dialogue set forth in sub18 section (a) is to be recited by the leader of the event, ex19 cept that each instance of ‘‘Always remember.’’ is to be 

20 recited by the audience. 

Æ 


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