Support of Reparations Research, Policy Development, Programs and Litigation

CONCURRED

WHEREAS, reparations to people injured by governmental action have been recognized as a sound principle of Human Rights and International Law; and

WHEREAS, people of African descent in the United States have been injured by the active and passive involvement of theUnited States Government and its colonial predecessors; and

WHEREAS, this injury began as early as 1619, if not before, with the initiation of the brutal inhuman kidnap and enslavement of African people; and

WHEREAS, H.R. 40 [Commissionto Study Reparations Proposals for African Americans Act] has been introduced by Congressman John Conyers; and

WHEREAS, the inhumane treatment of African descended people with the active and passive involvement and support of theUnited States and state governments continues to this day; and

WHEREAS, the President of the United States admitted during his tour of Africa the injury done to Africa by the slave trade and has admitted the egregious harm done to

African descended people in the United States, at least in part, when he issued his apology for the Tuskegee Study; and

WHEREAS, the United States has paid reparations to other U.S. citizen groups and as part ofour national policy encourages the payment of reparations to other peoples who have been injured by governmental action.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the NAACP reaffirm its support of H.R. 40 and urge Congress to enact the bill into legislation; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the NAACP support the expansion of H.R. 40 to include the actual payment of reparations; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the NAACP support the research and development of reparations litigation in the event that H.R. 40 is not passed or fails to provide reparations to African Americans.

THEREFORE, BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that the Convention re-affirm the previous policy of the NAACP adopted in 1997 on Reparations H.R. 40 for African Americans.