Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 12/12/2022
EASTHAMPTON – During their meeting on Dec. 7, the Easthampton City Council voted to support the passing of the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act of Congress.
Background
The act is a national bill that would establish the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans. The goal of this commission would be to examine slavery and discrimination in the colonies and the United States from 1619 to the present and recommend appropriate atonement and compensation for slavery.
Among other requirements, the commission would identify the role of federal and state governments in supporting the institution of slavery, as well as the forms of discrimination in the public and private sectors against freed states and their descendants. The commission would also identify the lingering negative effects of slavery on living African Americans and society.
Former Michigan congressman John Conyers introduced the bill in every congressional session from 1989 to 2017. Once he left, Texas Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee continued the push for this bill, amassing over 200 Congressional co-sponsors for the legislation.
So far, as many as 40 senators have supported the companion bill, which goes by the same name, and while it has not officially passed, President Joseph Biden can move the reparations movement forward through an executive order.
City Council
The resolution to support this bill was introduced by City Council President Homar Gomez and At-Large City Councilor Koni Denham. By passing the resolution, the council is now in support of this bill.
“It’s time to acknowledge, condemn and express regret for the role past residents throughout the Pioneer Valley played in the enslavement of Black individuals, and recognize the ongoing detrimental impacts experienced by the Black residents of Easthampton as a result of the enslavement of their ancestors,” Denham and Gomez said, in a letter to the rest of the council. “It’s important for us to condemn what happened before and send a clear message that we can do better in our society. The enslavement of Black people was and is horrendous and we all should be condemning it.”
According to the resolution, the legislation has already been supported by numerous organizations including, Human Rights Watch, the ACLU, Amnesty International, Asian Americans Advancing Justice, the NAACP, and American Descendants of Slavery.
“This [bill] is an opportunity for the leadership of this body to proactively address the historical reality that there are white members of the Pioneer Valley who played a role in the enslavement of Black individuals, and through this process, also acknowledging the detrimental impacts that that experience has had on current residents,” said Denham, during the meeting.
Beyond supporting this bill, the city also hopes to conduct future educational opportunities as a way for residents to engage in discussions about local history as it relates to slavery and other mistreatments of the African American community.
“This country abuses African Americans,” said Gomez. “It’s time to recognize it…it’s time to teach the history the way that it is, because that way we don’t repeat it….this is just one step, but we have to keep moving forward.”
The City Council also accepted certain changes to language in some of their ordinances to reflect gender-neutral wording. Other language was adjusted for better clarification. People can review the full changes in the agenda packet: https://www.easthamptonma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_12072022-1679.