Washington, D.C. — Following the historic passage of H.R. 40–a bill which would create a commission to consider reparations for African Americans–through the House Judiciary Committee last night the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) released the following statement from Chief Officer for Racial Justice and Equity Leslie Hinkson:

“This is a historic moment. For the first time in our nation’s history Congress has successfully moved a reparations bill through a committee vote. Last night’s vote is a direct result of the hard work from groups like the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America (N’COBRA) and the National African American Reparations Commission (NAARC) who have been leading the fight for racial justice for decades, and so many others who are on the frontlines of this fight now. LCV is proud to join our voices with theirs today and moving forward we will work alongside Congress and the coalition of more than 300 organizations who support H.R. 40 and S. 40 to ensure this legislation becomes law. 

“H.R. 40 is just one first step toward reparations–and there is much that we have lost through centuries of systemic and structural racism that can never be recovered–but it’s an important step, and we sincerely hope it will move to the House floor. We commend those members of Congress who voted in support of H.R. 40 yesterday and those who have already signed on in support of both H.R. 40 and S. 40 and we urge those who have not yet done so to recognize the urgency of this moment in history and the opportunities that it presents. We cannot equitably build political power for people and the planet until we intentionally dismantle these racist structures and their legacies.”

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LCV sent this blog post to members of Congress earlier this week announcing the organization’s support for reparations ahead of last night’s vote on H.R. 40 in the House Judiciary Committee. 

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