H. Res.

194

In the House of Representatives, U. S.,

July 29, 2008.
Whereas millions of Africans and their descendants were
enslaved in the United States and the 13 American colonies from 1619 through 1865;
Whereas slavery in America resembled no other form of involuntary servitude known in history, as Africans were captured and sold at auction like inanimate objects or animals;
Whereas Africans forced into slavery were brutalized, humiliated, dehumanized, and subjected to the indignity of
being stripped of their names and heritage;
Whereas enslaved families were torn apart after having been
sold separately from one another;
Whereas the system of slavery and the visceral racism against
persons of African descent upon which it depended became entrenched in the Nations social fabric;
Whereas slavery was not officially abolished until the passage
of the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution in 1865 after the end of the Civil War;
Whereas after emancipation from 246 years of slavery, African-Americans soon saw the fleeting political, social, and
economic gains they made during Reconstruction eviscerated by virulent racism, lynchings, disenfranchisement,

2
Black Codes, and racial segregation laws that imposed a
rigid system of officially sanctioned racial segregation in
virtually all areas of life;
Whereas the system of de jure racial segregation known as
Jim Crow, which arose in certain parts of the Nation
following the Civil War to create separate and unequal
societies for whites and African-Americans, was a direct
result of the racism against persons of African descent
engendered by slavery;
Whereas a century after the official end of slavery in America, Federal action was required during the 1960s to
eliminate the dejure and defacto system of Jim Crow
throughout parts of the Nation, though its vestiges still
linger to this day;
Whereas African-Americans continue to suffer from the complex interplay between slavery and Jim Crowlong after
both systems were formally abolishedthrough enormous
damage and loss, both tangible and intangible, including
the loss of human dignity, the frustration of careers and
professional lives, and the long-term loss of income and
opportunity;
Whereas the story of the enslavement and de jure segregation
of African-Americans and the dehumanizing atrocities
committed against them should not be purged from or
minimized in the telling of American history;
Whereas on July 8, 2003, during a trip to Goree Island, Senegal, a former slave port, President George W. Bush acknowledged slaverys continuing legacy in American life
and the need to confront that legacy when he stated that
slavery was . . . one of the greatest crimes of history
. . . The racial bigotry fed by slavery did not end with
HRES 194 EH

3
slavery or with segregation. And many of the issues that
still trouble America have roots in the bitter experience
of other times. But however long the journey, our destiny
is set: liberty and justice for all.;
Whereas President Bill Clinton also acknowledged the deepseated problems caused by the continuing legacy of racism against African-Americans that began with slavery
when he initiated a national dialogue about race;
Whereas a genuine apology is an important and necessary
first step in the process of racial reconciliation;
Whereas an apology for centuries of brutal dehumanization
and injustices cannot erase the past, but confession of
the wrongs committed can speed racial healing and reconciliation and help Americans confront the ghosts of
their past;
Whereas the legislature of the Commonwealth of Virginia has
recently taken the lead in adopting a resolution officially
expressing appropriate remorse for slavery and other
State legislatures have adopted or are considering similar
resolutions; and
Whereas it is important for this country, which legally recognized slavery through its Constitution and its laws, to
make a formal apology for slavery and for its successor,
Jim Crow, so that it can move forward and seek reconciliation, justice, and harmony for all of its citizens:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives
(1) acknowledges that slavery is incompatible with
the basic founding principles recognized in the Declaration of Independence that all men are created equal;
HRES 194 EH

4
(2) acknowledges the fundamental injustice, cruelty,
brutality, and inhumanity of slavery and Jim Crow;
(3) apologizes to African Americans on behalf of the
people of the United States, for the wrongs committed
against them and their ancestors who suffered under
slavery and Jim Crow; and
(4) expresses its commitment to rectify the lingering consequences of the misdeeds committed against
African Americans under slavery and Jim Crow and to
stop the occurrence of human rights violations in the future.
Attest:

Clerk.

HRES 194 EH

111TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION

S. CON. RES. 26

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Whereas during the history of the Nation, the United States
has grown into a symbol of democracy and freedom
around the world;
Whereas the legacy of African-Americans is interwoven with
the very fabric of the democracy and freedom of the
United States;
Whereas millions of Africans and their descendants were
enslaved in the United States and the 13 American colonies from 1619 through 1865;
Whereas Africans forced into slavery were brutalized, humiliated, dehumanized, and subjected to the indignity of
being stripped of their names and heritage;
Whereas many enslaved families were torn apart after family
members were sold separately;
Whereas the system of slavery and the visceral racism against
people of African descent upon which it depended became
enmeshed in the social fabric of the United States;
Whereas slavery was not officially abolished until the ratification of the 13th amendment to the Constitution of the
United States in 1865, after the end of the Civil War;
Whereas after emancipation from 246 years of slavery, African-Americans soon saw the fleeting political, social, and
economic gains they made during Reconstruction evis-

2
cerated by virulent racism, lynchings, disenfranchisement,
Black Codes, and racial segregation laws that imposed a
rigid system of officially sanctioned racial segregation in
virtually all areas of life;
Whereas the system of de jure racial segregation known as
Jim Crow, which arose in certain parts of the United
States after the Civil War to create separate and unequal
societies for Whites and African-Americans, was a direct
result of the racism against people of African descent
that was engendered by slavery;
Whereas the system of Jim Crow laws officially existed until
the 1960sa century after the official end of slavery in
the United Statesuntil Congress took action to end it,
but the vestiges of Jim Crow continue to this day;
Whereas African-Americans continue to suffer from the consequences of slavery and Jim Crow lawslong after both
systems were formally abolishedthrough enormous
damage and loss, both tangible and intangible, including
the loss of human dignity and liberty;
Whereas the story of the enslavement and de jure segregation
of African-Americans and the dehumanizing atrocities
committed against them should not be purged from or
minimized in the telling of the history of the United
States;
Whereas those African-Americans who suffered under slavery
and Jim Crow laws, and their descendants, exemplify the
strength of the human character and provide a model of
courage, commitment, and perseverance;
Whereas on July 8, 2003, during a trip to Goree Island, Senegal, a former slave port, President George W. Bush acknowledged the continuing legacy of slavery in life in the
SCON 26 ES

3
United States and the need to confront that legacy, when
he stated that slavery was . . . one of the greatest
crimes of history . . . The racial bigotry fed by slavery
did not end with slavery or with segregation. And many
of the issues that still trouble America have roots in the
bitter experience of other times. But however long the
journey, our destiny is set: liberty and justice for all.;
Whereas President Bill Clinton also acknowledged the deepseated problems caused by the continuing legacy of racism against African-Americans that began with slavery,
when he initiated a national dialogue about race;
Whereas an apology for centuries of brutal dehumanization
and injustices cannot erase the past, but confession of
the wrongs committed and a formal apology to AfricanAmericans will help bind the wounds of the Nation that
are rooted in slavery and can speed racial healing and
reconciliation and help the people of the United States
understand the past and honor the history of all people
of the United States;
Whereas the legislatures of the Commonwealth of Virginia
and the States of Alabama, Florida, Maryland, and
North Carolina have taken the lead in adopting resolutions officially expressing appropriate remorse for slavery,
and other State legislatures are considering similar resolutions; and
Whereas it is important for the people of the United States,
who legally recognized slavery through the Constitution
and the laws of the United States, to make a formal
apology for slavery and for its successor, Jim Crow, so
they can move forward and seek reconciliation, justice,
and harmony for all people of the United States: Now,
therefore, be it
SCON 26 ES

4
1

Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives

2 concurring), That the sense of the Congress is the fol3 lowing:

4

(1) APOLOGY

FOR THE ENSLAVEMENT AND

SEGREGATION OF AFRICAN-AMERICANS.The

gress

Con-

(A) acknowledges the fundamental injus-

tice, cruelty, brutality, and inhumanity of slav-

ery and Jim Crow laws;

10

(B) apologizes to African-Americans on be-

11

half of the people of the United States, for the

12

wrongs committed against them and their an-

13

cestors who suffered under slavery and Jim

14

Crow laws; and

15

(C) expresses its recommitment to the

16

principle that all people are created equal and

17

endowed with inalienable rights to life, liberty,

18

and the pursuit of happiness, and calls on all

19

people of the United States to work toward

20

eliminating racial prejudices, injustices, and dis-

21

crimination from our society.

22

(2) DISCLAIMER.Nothing in this resolution

23

(A) authorizes or supports any claim

24

against the United States; or

SCON 26 ES

5
1
2

(B) serves as a settlement of any claim

against the United States.
Passed the Senate June 18, 2009.
Attest:

Secretary.

SCON 26 ES

111TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION

S. CON. RES. 26

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Apologizing for the enslavement and racial
segregation of African-Americans.

United Nations

A/RES/68/237

General Assembly

Distr.: General
7 February 2014

Sixty-eighth session
Agenda item 67 (b)

Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 23 December 2013

[without reference to a Main Committee (A/68/L.34)]

68/237. Proclamation of the International Decade for People

of African Descent
The General Assembly,
Recalling its resolution 52/111 of 12 December 1997, by which it decided to
convene the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia
and Related Intolerance, and its resolutions 56/266 of 27 March 2002, 57/195 of
18 December 2002, 58/160 of 22 December 2003, 59/177 of 20 December 2004 and
60/144 of 16 December 2005, which guided the comprehensive follow-up to the
World Conference and the effective implementation of the Durban Declaration and
Programme of Action, 1
Reiterating that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights
and have the potential to contribute constructively to the development and well-being
of their societies, and that any doctrine of racial superiority is scientifically false,
morally condemnable, socially unjust and dangerous and must be rejected, together
with theories that attempt to determine the existence of separate human races,
Acknowledging the efforts and initiatives undertaken by States to prohibit
discrimination and segregation and to engender the full enjoyment of economic,
social and cultural as well as civil and political rights,
Emphasizing that, despite efforts in this regard, millions of human beings
continue to be victims of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related
intolerance, including their contemporary manifestations, some of which take
violent forms,
Emphasizing also its resolution 64/169 of 18 December 2009, by which it
proclaimed 2011 as the International Year for People of African Descent,
Recalling its resolutions 3057 (XXVIII) of 2 November 1973, 38/14 of
22 November 1983 and 48/91 of 20 December 1993, by which it proclaimed the
three Decades to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination, and conscious of the
fact that their objectives are yet to be attained,
_______________
1

See A/CONF.189/12 and Corr.1, chap. I.

13-45367

*1345367*

Please recycle

A/RES/68/237

Proclamation of the International Decade for People of African Descent

Underlining its resolution 67/155 of 20 December 2012, by which it requested

the President of the General Assembly, in consultation with Member States, relevant
United Nations programmes and organizations and civil society, including
non-governmental organizations, to launch an informal consultative preparatory
process for the proclamation of the International Decade for People of African
Descent, with the theme People of African descent: recognition, justice and
development, with a view to proclaiming the International Decade in 2013,
Recalling paragraph 61 of its resolution 66/144 of 19 December 2011, by
which it encouraged the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent to
develop a programme of action, including a theme, for adoption by the Human
Rights Council, and in this regard taking note of Council resolution 21/33 of
28 September 2012, 2 in which the Council welcomed the draft programme of action
for the Decade for People of African Descent 3 and decided to transmit it to the
General Assembly with a view to its adoption,
Taking note with appreciation of the work undertaken by the Working Group
of Experts on People of African Descent in producing a draft programme of action
that is comprehensive and covers a wide range of areas that could serve as a broad
framework for the programme of action for the International Decade for People of
African Descent, and the report of the Secretary-General on how to make the
International Decade effective, 4
1.
Proclaims the International Decade for People of African Descent,
commencing on 1 January 2015 and ending on 31 December 2024, with the theme
People of African descent: recognition, justice and development, to be officially
launched immediately following the general debate of the sixty-ninth session of the
General Assembly;
2.
Requests the President of the General Assembly, through the facilitator,
to continue consultations with States members of the General Assembly and other
stakeholders, with a view to elaborating a programme for the implementation of the
International Decade, with a draft programme developed by the Intergovernmental
Working Group on the Effective Implementation of the Durban Declaration and
Programme of Action as its basis, to be finalized and adopted during the sixty-eighth
session of the Assembly and not later than 30 June 2014;
3.
Calls for the allocation of predictable funding from the regular budget
and extrabudgetary resources of the United Nations for the effective implementation
of the programme of action and activities under the International Decade.
72nd plenary meeting
23 December 2013

_______________
2

See Official Records of the General Assembly, Sixty-seventh Session, Supplement No. 53A (A/67/53/Add.1),
chap. II.
3
A/HRC/21/60/Add.2.
4
A/67/879.

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