REPARATIONS STUDY TOWN HALL
Submitted by Tom Hempfling, April 2016
In January 2016, a petition was initiated at UCE to express support for Rep. John Conyers’ House Bill HR 40. This bill will conduct a study of proposals for reparations to the descendants of slaves in America, and it includes studying the effects of slavery and its later manifestations in our society today. A key purpose of HR40 and of making reparations to the African American community is reconciliation – to help make one
America from this divided nation.
Among other areas of inquiry, HR 40 would:
• study the economic deprivation and physical and emotional suffering of the descendants of slaves, including deprivation that occurred because of U.S. Government policies
• seek to expand educational efforts to help Americans move toward a “common memory,” and thus a greater sense of true community in our nation.
If reparations are enacted, the form they could take has yet to be defined, but an example could be public works that include racial justice in their mission.
Our proposal and its rationale was described in an article in the Jan 8, 2016 UCE newsletter and was discussed at a Crackerbarrel session on January 24. On Feb 17 we presented 77 signatures to the Board of Trustees, well in excess of the number needed to bring the proposal to the congregation. A discussion is scheduled for the May 1 Town Hall Meeting, and the proposal is on the agenda for the May 15 congregational meeting.
If it is approved, we will inform elected representatives and others at a later date of its approval and submit a Proposed Congregational Study/Action Issue (CSAI) to the UUA prior to its next deadline of October 1, 2016, for consideration and eventual adoption as a Statement of Conscience by the UUA, or for incorporation into the existing CSAI in progress on “Escalating Inequality.”