Thu 27 Mar, 2008
| Tags: Apologies, Joe Feagin, Legislation, Slavery, States |
Florida’s legislature passed a non-binding resolution yesterday expressing its “profound regret for Florida’s role in sanctioning and perpetuating involuntary servitude upon generations of African slaves.”
Florida thus joins six other states, from Alabama to New Jersey, which have passed such resolutions since early last year.
Wed 27 Feb, 2008
| Tags: Apologies, Legislation, Sam Brownback, Slavery, Tom Harkin, U.S. Congress |
The U.S. Senate will consider an apology for slavery and the subsequent history of legalized discrimination, under a plan announced by senators Sam Brownback and Tom Harkin and covered in an article made available by USA Today this evening.
Harkin and Brownback have already lined up 14 co-sponsors, including presidential candidates Clinton and Obama, for their proposed apology, which they plan to introduce in the Senate as early as March.
Wed 6 Feb, 2008
| Tags: 1808, Abolition, H.R. 3432, Legislation, Slave trade |
H.R. 3432, “A bill to establish the Commission on the Abolition of the Transatlantic Slave Trade,” has now become law.
Tue 8 Jan, 2008
| Tags: Apologies, Legislation, New Jersey, Slavery, States |
Yesterday evening, the New Jersey state legislature passed a resolution offering “profound regret” for the state’s role in slavery, and saying that the legislature “apologizes” for the harm caused by slavery and its aftermath in the U.S.
New Jersey thus became the first state north of the Mason-Dixon line to apologize for slavery. In the past year, five other states have offered various forms of apology for slavery, including Virginia, North Carolina, Alabama, Arkansas, and Maryland.
Tue 1 Jan, 2008
| Tags: Apologies, Legislation, New Jersey, Slavery, States |
According to an A.P. wire story this morning, the New Jersey state legislature will hold a hearing this week on a resolution which would apologize for New Jersey’s role in slavery.
Update: The resolution passed out of committee today, and is scheduled for a vote by the full Assembly on Monday. The N.J. Senate is not currently scheduled to act on the resolution before the legislative session expires on Tuesday.
Tue 1 Jan, 2008
| Tags: 1808, Abolition, Inheriting the Trade, Legislation, National Archives, Slave trade, Sundance Film Festival, Tom DeWolf, Traces of the Trade, U.S. Congress |
Today, January 1, 2008, marks the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the U.S. slave trade.
Thu 20 Dec, 2007
| Tags: 1808, Abolition, H.R. 3432, Legislation, Slave trade |
Yesterday, the U.S. Senate passed H.R. 3432, the bill to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the U.S. slave trade, by unanimous consent.
However, before the bill was passed, Sen.Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) objected to funding the commission, and so the bill’s authorization for funding was stripped out. Therefore, if the amended version is passed by the House, which passed the original legislation in October, the commission and the activities established by the bill cannot be funded.
Update: On January 22, the House agreed to the amended version of the bill, without the authorization of funds, after passionate remarks in favor of the bill by Reps. Payne, Poe, and Jackson-Lee.
Mon 17 Dec, 2007
| Tags: Charles Ogletree, H.R. 40, John Conyers, Legislation, Reparations, Slave trade, Slavery, U.S. Congress |
The House Judiciary Committee has released the witness list for tomorrow’s hearing, by the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, on the legacy of the transatlantic slave trade.
Tue 11 Dec, 2007
| Tags: H.R. 40, John Conyers, Legislation, Reparations, Slave trade, Slavery, U.S. Congress |
The House Judiciary Committee has just scheduled a hearing for next Tuesday, December 18, on the legacy of the transatlantic slave trade.
This hearing is expected to cover H.R. 40, the bill proposed each year by the committee chair, Rep. John Conyers, to establish a commission to study reparations for slavery; H.Res. 194, a resolution calling for the House to apologize for slavery; and perhaps H.R. 3432, legislation to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the U.S. slave trade.
The hearing will be held by the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, in Room 2141 of the Rayburn House Office Building at 10:00am. Witnesses will be announced later.
Tue 27 Nov, 2007
| Tags: H.R. 40, John Conyers, Legislation, Reparations, Slave trade, Slavery, U.S. Congress |
There is a rumor going around that Congressman John Conyers, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, has scheduled a hearing next week on H.R. 40, the bill which would establish a commission to study reparations for slavery.
There is even a press release, apparently issued by N’COBRA, which has been e-mailed to interested persons and is currently making its way around the Internet. This press release gives a specific day, time, and location for the hearing.
However, the House Judiciary Committee has not scheduled a hearing on H.R. 40 for next week, and is not even scheduled to hold any hearings next week.
Whether Rep. Conyers will schedule a hearing on H.R. 40 for another date in the near future remains to be seen.
Update: The committee has now scheduled a hearing for Tuesday, December 18, at 10:00am on the legacy of the transatlantic slave trade. This is the hearing which was expected earlier in the month, and it should cover H.R. 40 among other bills.
