,,iii #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 ,,con4 ,,res4 #ej ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,december #c1 #bjbj,mr4 ,booker 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,markey1 ,mr4 ,sanders1 ,mr4 ,blumenthal1 ,mr4 ,menendez1 ,mr4 ,coons1 ,ms4 ,klobuchar1 ,ms4 ,warren1 ,ms4 ,duckworth1 ,mr4 ,whitehouse1 ,mr4 ,brown1 and ,mr4 ,durbin7 submitted the following concurrent resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on the ,judiciary ,,concurrent ,,resolution ,urging the establishment of a ,united ,states ,commission on ,truth1 ,racial ,healing1 and ,transformation4 ,whereas the first ship carrying enslaved ,africans to what is now known as the ,united ,states of ,america arrived in #afai2 ,whereas that event #djj years ago was significant not only because it ushered in the institution of chattel slavery of ,african ,americans1 but also because it facilitated the systematic oppression of all people of color that has been a devastating and insufficiently understood and acknowledged aspect of our ,nation's history over those past #djj years1 and that has left a legacy of that oppression that haunts our ,nation to this day2 ,whereas the institution of chattel slavery in the ,united ,states subjugated ,african ,americans for nearly #bej years1 fractured our ,nation1 and made a mockery of its founding principle that all men are created equal2 ,whereas the signing of the ,constitution of the ,united ,states failed to end slavery and oppressions against ,african ,americans and other people of color1 thus embedding in society the belief in the myth of a hierarchy of human value based on superficial physical characteristics such as skin color and facial features1 and resulting in purposeful and persistent racial inequities in education1 health care1 employment1 ,social ,security and veteran benefits1 land ownership1 financial assistance1 food security1 wages1 voting rights1 and the justice system2 ,whereas that oppression denied opportunity and mobility to ,african ,americans and other people of color within the ,united ,states1 resulting in stolen labor worth billions of dollars while ultimately forestalling landmark contributions that ,african ,americans and other people of color would make in science1 arts1 commerce1 and public service2 ,whereas ,reconstruction represented a significant but constrained moment of advances for ,black rights as epitomized by the ,freedman's ,bureau1 which negotiated labor contracts for ex-enslaved people but failed to secure their own land for them2 ,whereas the brutal overthrow of ,reconstruction failed all individuals in the ,united ,states by failing to ensure the safety and security of ,african ,americans and by emboldening ,states and municipalities in both the ,north and ,south to enact numerous laws and policies to stymie the socioeconomic mobility and political voice of freed ,blacks1 thus maintaining their subservience to ,whites2 ,whereas ,reconstruction1 the civil rights movement1 and other efforts to redress the grievances of marginalized people were sabotaged1 both intentionally and unintentionally1 by those in power1 thus rendering the accomplishments of those efforts transitory and unsustainable1 and further embedding the racial hierarchy in society2 ,whereas examples of government actions directed against populations of color 7referred to in this resolution as discriminatory government actions7 include-- 7#a7 the creation of the ,federal ,housing ,administration1 which adopted specific policies designed to incentivize residential segregation2 7#b7 the enactment of legislation creating the ,social ,security program1 for which most ,african ,americans were purposely rendered ineligible during its first #b decades2 7#c7 the ,servicemen's ,readjustment ,act of #aidd 7commonly known as the ,g4,i4 ,bill of ,rights2 #eh ,stat4 #bhd1 chapter #bfh71 which left administration of its programs to the ,states1 thus enabling blatant discrimination against ,african ,american veterans2 7#d7 the ,fair ,labor ,standards ,act of #aich1 which allowed labor unions to discriminate based on race2 7#e7 subprime lending aimed purposefully at families of color2 7#f7 disenfranchisement of ,native ,americans1 who1 until #aibd1 were denied citizenship on land ,native ,americans had occupied for millennia2 7#g7 ,federal ,indian ,boarding ,school policy during the #aith and #bjth centuries1 the purpose of which was to civilize ,native children through methods intended to eradicate ,native cultures1 traditions1 and languages2 7#h7 land policies toward ,indian ,tribes1 such as the allotment policy1 which caused the loss of over #ij1jjj1jjj acres of ,tribal lands1 even though two-thirds of that acreage was guaranteed to ,indian ,tribes by treaties and other ,federal laws1 and similar unjustified land grabs from ,indian ,tribes that occurred regionally throughout the late #ahjjs and into the termination era in the #aiejs and #aifjs2 7#i7 the involuntary removal of ,mexicans and ,united ,states citizens of ,mexican descent through large-scale discriminatory deportation programs in the #aicjs and #aiejs2 7#aj7 the ,united ,states annexation of ,puerto ,rico1 which made ,puerto ,ricans citizens of the ,united ,states without affording them voting rights2 7#aa7 racial discrimination against ,latino ,americans1 which has forced ,latino ,americans to fight continuously for equal access to employment1 housing1 health care1 financial services1 and education2 7#ab7 the ,act entitled ,an ,act to execute certain treaty stipulations relating to ,chinese1 approved ,may #f1 #ahib 7commonly known as the ,chinese ,exclusion ,act2 #bb ,stat4 #eh1 chapter #abf71 which effectively halted immigration from ,china and barred ,chinese immigrants from becoming citizens of the ,united ,states1 and which was the first instance of xenophobic legislation signed into law specifically targeting a specific group of people based on ethnicity2 7#ac7 the treatment of ,japanese ,americans1 despite no evidence of disloyalty1 as suspect and traitorous in the very country they helped to build1 leading most notably to the mass incarceration of ,japanese ,americans beginning in #aidb2 7#ad7 the conspiracy to overthrow the ,kingdom of ,hawaii and annex the land of the ,kingdom of ,hawaii1 without the consent of or compensation to the ,native ,hawaiian people of ,hawaii2 and 7#ae7 the ,united ,states history of colonialism in the ,pacific1 which has resulted in economic1 health1 and educational disparities among other inequities1 for people in ,united ,states territories1 as well as independent nations with which the ,united ,states has treaty obligations2 ,whereas those discriminatory government actions1 among other government policies that have had racially disparate impacts1 have disproportionately barred ,african ,americans and other people of color from building wealth1 thus limiting potential capital and exacerbating the racial wealth gap2 ,whereas research has shown that the persistent racial wealth gap has had a significant negative impact on other racial disparities1 such as the achievement gap1 disparities in school dropout rates1 income gaps1 disparities in home ownership rates1 health outcome disparities1 and disparities in incarceration rates2 ,whereas ,united ,states civic leaders and foundations have spearheaded critical efforts to advance racial healing1 understanding1 and transformation within the ,united ,states1 recognizing that it is in our collective national interest to urgently address the unhealed1 entrenched divisions that will severely undermine our democracy if they are allowed to continue to exist2 ,whereas many of the most far-reaching victories for racial healing in the ,united ,states have been greatly enhanced by the involvement1 support1 and dedication of individuals from any and all racial groups2 ,whereas at the same time1 much of the progress toward racial healing and racial equity in the ,united ,states has been limited or reversed by our failure to address the root cause of racism1 the belief in the myth of a hierarchy of human value based on superficial physical characteristics such as skin color and facial features2 ,whereas the ,united ,states institution of slavery1 as well as other examples enumerated in this resolution1 represent intentional and blatant violations of the most basic right of every individual in the ,united ,states to a free and decent life2 ,whereas the consequences of oppression against people of color have cascaded for centuries1 across generations1 beyond the era of active enslavement1 imperiling for descendants of slaves and other targets of oppression what should have otherwise been the right of every individual in the ,united ,states to life1 liberty1 and the pursuit of happiness2 ,whereas more than #dj countries have reckoned with historical injustice and its aftermath through forming ,truth and ,reconciliation ,commissions to move toward restorative justice and to return dignity to their citizens2 ,whereas for #c decades there has been a growing movement inside and outside ,congress to have the ,federal ,government develop material remedies for the institution of slavery1 including through a ,commission to ,study and ,develop ,reparation ,proposals for ,african-,americans described in ,h4,r4 #dj1 #aafth ,congress1 as introduced on ,january #c1 #bjai2 ,whereas the formation of a ,united ,states ,commission on ,truth1 ,racial ,healing1 and ,transformation does not supplant the formation of a ,commission to ,study and ,develop ,reparation ,proposals for ,african-,americans1 but rather complements that effort2 and ,whereas contemporary social science1 medical science1 and the rapidly expanding use of artificial intelligence and social media reveal the costs and potential threats to our democracy if we continue to allow unhealed1 entrenched divisions to be ignored and exploited3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that ,congress-- 7#a7 affirms1 on the #djjth anniversary of the arrival of the first slave ship to the ,united ,states1 that the ,nation owes a long-overdue debt of remembrance to not only those who lived through the egregious injustices enumerated in this resolution1 but also to their descendants2 and 7#b7 urges the establishment of a ,united ,states ,commission on ,truth1 ,racial ,healing1 and ,transformation to properly acknowledge1 memorialize1 and be a catalyst for progress toward-- 7,a7 jettisoning the belief in a hierarchy of human value2 7,b7 embracing our common humanity2 and 7,c7 permanently eliminating persistent racial inequities4