To honor Juneteenth: Demand Reparations Now!

Urge Congress to address the legacy of slavery [View in Browser]( [Amnesty International candle logo]( [500 SIGNATURES NEEDED IN HONOR OF JUNETEENTH: DEMAND JUSTICE AND REPARATIONS »]( Hi {NAME}, Today we honor Juneteenth, the celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the United States in 1865 and an homage to the strength, resiliency, and never-ending pursuit of self-liberating joy that Black communities possess. Slavery formally ended in 1865, but the painful truth is that the legacy of the institution of slavery continues and undermines all efforts to progress and racial equity in the U.S. over 150 years later. We need a way forward that addresses this fundamental injustice. [Reparations would help begin to do that. We need 500 signatures today — will you be one of them?]( There is a bill in Congress (H.R. 40 / S. 40) that would create a commission to investigate the legacy of slavery and its ongoing harms, and develop reparations proposals for Black Americans in the U.S. And Representative Cori Bush recently introduced the Reparations Now! Resolution (H.R. 414), which would acknowledge the federal government’s responsibility to provide reparations and would support other reparations legislation, too. [This Juneteenth, will you be one of the 500 signatures we need and urge your members of Congress to pass H.R. 40 / S. 40 and the Reparations Now! Resolution today?]( [500 Signatures Needed. Tell Congress to support reparations legislation now! Add your name.]( A Pew Research analysis shows that nearly 6 in 10 Black Americans are directly impacted by the legacy of slavery. The terror of more than 400 years of systemic racism, white supremacy, discriminatory legislation, redlining, and mass incarceration have robbed generations of Black families of wealth, property, and their human rights. While racist acts of police violence continue to disproportionately rob Black Americans of their most fundamental human right: The right to life. The trauma and violence that has wreaked havoc on Black lives and communities in the U.S. cannot be undone. [But today, you can take a concrete step to address this injustice in honor of Juneteenth.]( [Urge your members of Congress to support reparations legislation — an essential first step toward amending inequity and paving a way for healing.]( We’ve watched Black activists march on Washington, organize to strengthen their communities, demand accountability for police violence, and do so much more for human rights in the face of the irreversible stain of slavery and its lasting consequences in the U.S. [In honor of Junteenth, please be one of the 500 signatures we need and take this critical action now.]( Thank you for raising your voice, Courteney Leinonen Researcher, Strategy & Impact Amnesty International USA [DONATE NOW]( © 2023 Amnesty International USA 311 W 43rd Street, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10036 | 1-800-AMNESTY Please don't reply to this email. You can send questions to aimember@aiusa.org. We’re so happy you’re here to hear about the most important updates on human rights! If necessary, you can [opt to receive fewer emails]( or [unsubscribe here](. [supporter]