Resolution Adopted on International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade Recognizes Grave Crime and Institutional Impact of Slavery

Pressley Also Denounces U.S. Ambassador’s Rejection of UN Resolution

WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) issued the following statement praising the UN General Assembly for adopting a resolution expressing support for reparations and declaring the trafficking and racialized chattel enslavement of Africans as the gravest crime against humanity. The resolution was introduced by the Republic of Ghana at the UN General Assembly in New York this week. Rep. Pressley also denounces U.S. Ambassador Dan Negrea’s decision to reject the resolution, minimize the crime of slavery, and deny the need for reparations.

“The fight for reparative justice demands both moral clarity and transformational change—and this UN resolution marks an essential step in recognizing the inhumane enslavement of our African ancestors and addressing the systemic oppression of Black people. This resolution signifies international solidarity and a united conviction to build a more just world, accounting for and confronting the impact of slavery that has burdened generations of Black folks. Our movement for reparations—like my legislation, H.R. 40—is a pathway toward truth, reconciliation, and accountability for the deep, structural injustices that continue to ravage Black communities.

“As we celebrate this historic resolution, I vehemently denounce the U.S. Ambassador’s vote against the resolution and false claims against the movement for reparative justice. Hiding behind the notion that there’s no legal right to reparations just because slavery was once legal is morally bankrupt and historically inaccurate. Slavery was always a crime against humanity, no matter what the law said at the time, and its legacy is still harming Black communities today. That means we still have a responsibility to repair that harm. It is anti-Blackness that is rooted in the earliest sins of our nation, seen in the racist attacks coming out of this hostile White House, and enabling the systemic oppression rampant in every corner of our society. We have a duty and obligation to confront past wrongs and the centuries of trafficking, enslavement, and violence against Black people. Justice delayed is justice denied, and we will not back down in our pursuit of healing and reparatory justice.”

Congresswoman Pressley is the lead sponsor of H.R. 40, historic reparations legislation that would address the harmful legacy of slavery and establish a federal commission to develop reparations proposals for African American descendants of enslaved people.

In February 2025, during Black History Month, Rep. Pressley and Senator Cory Booker reintroduced H.R. 40, serving as a powerful counterweight to the unprecedented onslaught against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives from the Trump Administration and a call to action to address the systemic oppression of Black people.

In April 2025, Rep. Pressley met with Northeastern University’s Center for Law, Equity, and Race to discuss efforts and further action in a shared push for reparative justice. In June 2025, Rep. Pressley hosted a briefing on H.R. 40 to provide congressional staffers and their offices an expanded look into the bill, its 36-year legislative journey – led by Congressman John Conyers and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee – and its vital role in the reparative justice movement.

Throughout her time in Congress, Rep. Pressley has championed policies to address the harmful legacy of slavery and support the true liberation of Black America, including Baby Bonds, a People’s Justice Guarantee, student debt cancellation, addressing the Black maternal morbidity crisis, supporting Black-owned microbusinesses, promoting anti-racist public health policy, and more.

Congresswoman Pressley is the lead sponsor of the People’s Justice Guarantee (PJG) – her comprehensive, decarceration-focused resolution that outlines a framework for a fair, equitable and just legal system. 

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