Reparations Commission Bill H.R.40 Is Broken! Tell Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee To Fix It Now!

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee

Reparations Commission bill H.R.40 is broken. Among other things, H.R.40 doesn't openly recognize Black American descendants of U.S Slavery and Jim Crow as the group eligible for reparations and doesn't commit to closing the racial wealth gap. Houston Texas Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee has the power to fix H.R.40. Unfortunately, Rep. Jackson Lee refuses to even meet with Black voters in her district to discuss making the bill better! Sign this petition to tell Rep. Jackson Lee to fix the bill now! Black American descendants of Slavery and Jim Crow in America need Reparations now. We need to get reparations legislation right the first time! Why? Because as a community, we are on the road to zero wealth. And because Reparations is a debt owed to us. We can't afford a weak and flawed reparations commission bill! Sign! Tell Rep. Shiela Jackson Lee to do the right thing and fix H.R.40 now!

To: Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee
From: [Your Name]

House of Representatives bill 40 (H.R.40) is a national reparations study bill first introduced in the House of Representatives in 1989 by the late Congressman John Conyers. The bill claims to address generational inequity by creating a commission to study and develop reparations proposals for African Americans. Unfortunately, in its current form, the legislation is severely flawed, in need of serious structural revision, and unable to advance the cause of reparative justice. If it cannot be revised, it must be replaced.

In its current form, H.R.40 fails to meet at least three critical and indispensable principles that acclaimed Economist, Dr. William Darity suggests guide a legitimate reparations commission. These principles include, but are not limited to the following:

1. Eligibility - Eligibility for reparations for Black Americans must apply specifically and exclusively to those Black Americans who are descendants of persons enslaved in the United States.

2. Elimination of the Racial Wealth Gulf - Any reparations plan must be designed, at minimum, to eliminate the massive racial wealth gulf.

3. Direct Payments - Direct payments to eligible recipients must be a part of any reparations plan.

In addition to the top three issues highlighted, please visit this article to learn more about other flaws in the current H.R.40 bill: https://actifypress.com/what-hr40-gets-wrong-and-why/.

Currently, H.R.40 fails to meet these principles. As such, it is not likely to produce a viable reparations plan. Therefore, we urge Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee to revise H.R.40 now to include the edits found here http://bit.ly/HR40Edited.