CRS Joins Faith Leaders in Washington D.C. to Advocate for Reparations
Community Renewal Society's Executive Director, Rev. Dr. Waltrina N. Middleton joined with fellow faith leaders in a press conference in Washington D.C. to call for the passage of H.R. 40. The Act would establish a commission to study and develop reparations proposals for African Americans.
According to Congress.gov, the Commission shall examine slavery and discrimination in the colonies and the United States from 1619 to the present and recommend appropriate remedies. The commission shall identify (1) the role of the federal and state governments in supporting the institution of slavery, (2) forms of discrimination in the public and private sectors against freed slaves and their descendants, and (3) lingering negative effects of slavery on living African Americans and society.
“Over 4 million Africans and their descendants were enslaved in the United States and its colonies from 1619 to 1865, and as a result, the United States was able to begin its grand place as the most prosperous country in the free world,” wrote former U.S. Congressman John Conyers (May 16, 1929 - Oct 27, 2019) in an article about his decades-long campaign to pass a reparations bill. Representative Conyers introduced the first bill in 1989. He chose the number 40 as a reference to the unfulfilled promise of 40 acres and a mule made to freed slaves.
H.R. 40 was most recently reintroduced on January 4, 2021, by Representative Sheila Jackson Lee from the 18th District in Texas. “We are seeking in this effort this morning to be able to get to the promised land…for America’s sake, for all our sake…let us heal, let us restore, let us pass H.R. 40." said Rep. Jackson Lee at the March 2, 2022 press conference. Following the press conference, the Executive Members of the Congressional Black Caucus, led by Rep. Jackson Lee, met with President Joe Biden. Subsequently, the Democratic National Committee passed a resolution in support of reparations.
“For the first time, questions about reparations were asked during the last presidential election. What seems most useful to note is that, yes, reparations are about the past, but they are also about the now and the future so that generations to come will no longer suffer from disinheritance that we now see through unfair banking loan practices, predatory lending and, in the case of my family from rural Gullah islands of SC, having to fight to keep our land that is being threatened by gentrification and the disinheritance of our cultural narrative as people of the historic sea islands,” stated Rev. Dr. Waltrina N. Middleton in her virtual address. These practices have resulted in significant wealth disparity with white households having more than ten times the average net worth of Black households.
“Yes, reparations are about settling a debt and about paving the way for a new kind of America. In this new America, we not only acknowledge the harm done by state-sanctioned violence such as enslavement, but we also invest in the lives and communities of Black, Brown and indigenous folks who continue to reel from hundreds of years of economic devastation caused by slavery, Jim Crow, red-lining, the war on drugs and the prison industrial complex” continued Dr. Middleton.
Locally, Evanston, Illinois became the first U.S. city to pass a reparations bill. The California Reparations Task Force is studying the state’s role in perpetuating the legacy of slavery. Other states, including Maryland, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, are also considering action on reparations. H.R. 40 is the first and only bill to study reparations on the federal level.
Addressing reparations is timely as we face colonization in Ukraine. “The nation’s attention is rightfully focused on the plight of Ukraine. Vladimir Putin is attempting to resurrect the age of colonization. But, if the United States of America truly wants to defeat Putin, then we will have to finish the work of decolonizing our nation by offering reparations and engaging in a process of radical truth-telling” shared Lisa Sharon Harper, author of Fortune and theologian, founder and president of Freedom Road.
Dr. Middleton pledged that "Community Renewal Society fully supports the prophetic call towards a vision of equity, justice and true reconciliation that must begin by addressing crimes against the humanity of our impacted fellow citizens of these United States of America. We have a moment to model for the world what justice with love can look like. Let us do the work to repair the breach so those disproportionately impacted can move closer to being whole with H.R. 40.”
In October 2021, during Community Renewal Society’s Annual Membership Assembly, member congregations voted to add the issue of reparations to the existing platform of a Just Economy and Community Development. With the addition of reparations, CRS committed to advocating for community investment and compensation as restitution for moral injury, protracted trauma and cultural disinheritance.
CRS’ work on reparations was launched during the 2022 Martin Luther King Jr. Faith in Action Assembly. Learn more about our plans for reparations and take our 2022 Reparations Pledge.
The March 2 press was hosted at the Washington, D.C. Press Club by Freedom Road in collaboration with Faith in Public Life. Community Renewal Society is a supporting partner of this initiative, along with Sojourners, Faith in Action and Equal Justice. We invite you to view a video of the conference available on YouTube, as well as read a follow-up article published by The Final Call.