[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 62 Introduced in House (IH)]
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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 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
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This resolution may be cited as the ``Original Slavery Remembrance
Day Memorialization Resolution''.
SEC. 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.
SEC. 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.
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