Original Slavery Remembrance Day Memorialization Resolution

Bill: 118-hconres-62
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Green, Al [D-TX-9]
Introduced: 2023-08-18
Policy area: Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Latest action: action_date: 2023-08-18
text: Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability.

Summaries:
action_date: 2023-08-18
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Original Slavery Remembrance Day Memorialization Resolution</b></p> <p>This concurrent resolution expresses the sense of Congress that (1) Congress should hold an annual commemorative event at a location in the U.S. Capitol Complex to revere, honor, and remember the victims of slavery; and (2) similar commemorative events should be held throughout the nation. </p>

tv_txt: IV 118th CONGRESS 1st Session H. CON. RES. 62 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 suffering 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; 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 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. Short title This resolution may be cited as the Original Slavery Remembrance Day Memorialization Resolution . 2. Slavery Remembrance Day commemorative events (a) Encouraging people To hold events (1) Architect of the Capitol It is the sense of Congress that Congress, in consultation with the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian Institution, should hold an annual commemorative event on an appropriate day at a location in the United States Capitol Complex to revere, honor, and remember the victims of slavery. (2) Others Congress encourages all people of good will throughout the Nation to hold an annual commemorative event on an appropriate day to revere, honor, and remember the victims of slavery. (b) Location of events It is the sense of Congress that the annual commemorative event described in this section should be held at a location that can provide an appropriate degree of solemnity and dignity for such an occasion. (c) Dialogue of event It is the sense of Congress that the annual commemorative event described in this section should feature the dialogue recommended in section 3 or a close variation of such dialogue. (d) Purpose The commemorative event described in this section is designed to serve as a memorial to the victims of slavery, to educate the public about the historical reality as well as the lasting impact of slavery, and to inspire continued commitment to not only fight contemporary racial injustice and inequality, but also to continue the struggle for reverence and justice for the enslaved whose lives were sacrificed to make America great. 3. Dialogue (a) Contents The dialogue recommended in this section is as follows: If you can, please join me by standing and placing your right hand over your heart to show heartfelt sorrow for the millions who suffered the horrors of slavery. Over the next few minutes, we will recall various well documented aspects of the experiences of American slaves. At the end of each of these summarized experiences I will say the words we must : Immediately after I say, we must I would like you (each of you) to, in unison, say always remember . Let’s begin. To prevent the evils of slavery from being repeated we must: Always remember. To commemorate the suffering and the lives lost because of slavery we must: Always remember. For the first 20 enslaved Africans who arrived in the British colonies at Point Comfort near what is now Norfolk Virginia on August 20, 1619, we must: Always remember. For the 12 million humans from all walks of life whose lives were stolen from them when they were kidnaped from Africa we must: Always remember. For the Africans sold into slavery by other Africans we must: Always remember. For the 12 percent of human beings who suffered the deadly middle passage and did not survive the horrific voyage to America we must: Always remember. For the men, women, and children on slave ships, many of whom were kept naked and packed close together, with many shackled and chained we must: Always remember. For enslaved human beings who often worked from sunup to after sundown, 6 to 7 days a week often without food we must: Always remember. For the mothers and fathers who were separated from their children and sold on the auction blocks we must: Always remember. For the freedom fighters such as Nat Turner who fought to free enslaved people; who gave their lives in the fight for freedom and justice we must: Always remember. For the tens of thousands of slaves who risked their lives in search of freedom on the Underground Railroad we must: Always remember. For freedom fighters such as Harriet Tubman, who escaped slavery and dedicated her life to returning to the South no less than 13 times freeing enslaved men women and children, we must: Always remember. For the White liberators like John Brown and President Abraham Lincoln who lived and died combating the horrific institution of slavery we must: Always remember. To commemorate the centuries of suffering, the years of tears shed, the history of hearts broken, the brutality of blood spilled, and the grieving over lives lost because of slavery we must: Always remember. Yet, in the spirit of righteous remembrance imbued with love for our country that hasn’t always loved its brothers and sisters of African ancestry, we have to acknowledge that: In spite of slavery and despite its invidious offsprings: mass lynchings, convict leasing, Black codes, lawful segregation, and institutional racism, African Americans have come a laudably long way. From our arrival on slave ships to our ascension to judgeships, From surviving the Middle Passage to thriving among the masses, From shackled in chains to creating societal change, From sitting in the back of buses to owning bus companies, From having no house to living in the White House, From painfully picking cotton to proudly picking Presidents, From adult males and females being disrespectfully called boy and girl to being respectfully presented as Mr. President and Madam Vice President. The truth be told, although we have come a long way, we still have a way to go. In closing let us resolve that as we forge forward we will commemorate our past and embrace our destiny, always remembering the hardships people of African heritage have endured in tandem with the victories won in spite of the seemingly invincible challenges emanating from insidious slavery and its invidious progenies! Through it all we must: Always Remember. We must: Always Remember. We must: Always Remember. If you can, I would ask that you participate in a moment of silent solemnity at noon on August 20th wherever you may be. During this moment, wherever you are, place your right hand over your heart and with a moment of silent solemnity, give thought to the millions who toiled and lost their lives under slavery, and lovingly utter the phrase I Remember . . (b) Recitation The dialogue set forth in subsection (a) is to be recited by the leader of the event, except that each instance of Always remember. is to be recited by the audience.