WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Green Party of the United States, following the lead of the party's Black Caucus, has endorsed U.S. House Resolution 40 -- Commission to Study and Develop Reparations Proposals.

The text of the Green Party resolution follows below. The resolution was passed by the party's National Committee, in which all accredited state Green Parties and Green Caucuses are represented.

Green Party of the United States
http://www.gp.org
@GreenPartyUS

For Immediate Release:
Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Contact:
Scott McLarty, Green Party Media Director, 202-904-7614, [email protected]
Anika Ofori, Green Party Black Caucus, [email protected]

The Green Party Black Caucus and the Green Party of the United States support reparations for Americans of African Descent that suffered the devastating damage and long-term effects and impacts of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, chattel slavery and de jure and defacto discrimination and segregation.

Support for reparations is in the Green national platform: see
http://gp.org/cgi-bin/vote/propdetail?pid=510 and 
http://www.gp.org/social_justice_2016/#sjCivilRights (scroll down to 2. Racial Discrimination).

"Four million Africans and their descendants were enslaved in the United States and colonies that became the United States from 1619 to 1865. A system of structural and institutional racism has persisted beyond the Emancipation Proclamation and the 1964 Civil Rights Act -- and persists today. That's why reparations are necessary and why the Green Party supports the U.S. House resolution," said Anika Ofori, Chief Strategist for the Green Party Black Caucus on Reparations and a Louisiana Green.

In 2016, a Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent completed a fact finding mission to the U.S. and submitted their findings to the United Nations Human Rights Council describing the situation of racism, discrimination, institutional and policy framework, highlights good practices, identifying gaps, and making recommendations to improve the quality of life for Americans of African Descent, including reparations.

In January 2017, H.R. 40 was introduced to the 115th Congress. The resolution attempts to remedy the fundamental inhumanity of the institutionalized system of chattel slavery in the U.S. and 13 American colonies and the impact of this system on living Americans of African Descent.

Resolution
Passed by the Green National Committee on Feb. 11, 2018
http://gp.org/cgi-bin/vote/propdetail?pid=891

The GPUS [Green Party of the United States] hereby states our support for U.S. House Resolution 40 - Commission to Study and Develop Reparations Proposals.

The GPUS will work to inform our members and the public about the significance of the passage of H.R. 40 as a reparatory remedy for institutionalized slavery and discrimination to living Americans of African Descent.

The GPUS will establish a Working Group on Reparations, headed by the GPUS Black Caucus, that will engage with the public, reparations organizations and lawmakers to increase public and government support for the passage of H.R. 40.

This resolution is a call to action to heal our country of the grave injustice of American Slavery and its on-going effects on all citizens of the United States.

See also:

Green Party mourns Muhiyyidin d'Baha, Black Lives Matter activist
Press release: Green Party of the United States, February 9, 2018

Green Party rebuttal to President Trump's 2018 State of the Union address
Press release: Green Party of the United States, January 31, 2018

Green Party marks Dr. King's birthday, 50th anniversary of Poor People's Campaign
Press release: Green Party of the United States, January 15, 2018

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